KINGSTON, Jamaica—More than 170 applications have been received and are currently being processed by the Social Development Commission (SDC) under the Government’s community church clean‑up and restoration initiative.

The initiative, announced recently by Prime Minister Andrew Holness, forms part of the post‑Hurricane Melissa national clean‑up programme and provides $75 million in grant funding to support clean‑up activities and minor repair works.

It targets churches in the western parishes that were impacted by the passage of Hurricane Melissa on October 28.

Eligible works include debris removal, replacement of roof sheeting, doors, windows, and guttering, basic waterproofing, and other small‑scale remedial repairs.

SDC executive director, Omar Frith, told JIS News that the volume of applications received underscores the scale of damage caused by the hurricane in the affected parishes.

“To date, the SDC has received 176 applications from churches across 16 constituencies in St Elizabeth, Westmoreland, St James, Trelawny and Hanover, with the largest concentration of submissions coming from St Elizabeth, Westmoreland and St James,” he said.

According to Frith, the SDC has responsibility for processing applications, coordinating field verification exercises, and supervising assessment activities.

“As part of the verification process, SDC parish teams are being deployed to conduct on-the-ground assessments supported by municipal corporations, which will assist in reviewing reported damage and ensuring technical consistency across applications,” the executive director explained.

He further emphasised that all activities undertaken must comply with national environmental and public health standards.

“All debris generated through the clean-up process must be disposed of at approved dumping sites in accordance with the guidelines of the National Solid Waste Management Authority (NSWMA) and the relevant municipal corporations,” he said.

Highlighting the SDC’s support for the Government’s thrust to assist churches, Frith noted that their function extends beyond spiritual and religious guidance.

-JIS