SAVANNA-LA-MAR, Westmoreland — A number of residents in this parish, one of the hardest hit by Hurricane Melissa last October, are now breathing a sigh of relief after receiving much-needed Government assistance in putting a roof over their heads.

Among them is Victor Ricketts of Orchard Street in Savanna-la-Mar who suffered heavy losses. On Thursday, he had gone to the Sean Lavery Faith Hall in Savanna-la-Mar with no expectations.

“I tell you the honest truth, I wasn’t coming here looking for this what happened right now, so I feel overjoyed with what happened for me right now at this moment,” he told the
Jamaica Observer.

He had just received a grant of $500,000 through the Ministry of Labour and Social Security’s Restoration of Owner-Occupant Family Shelters (ROOFS) programme. It provides support to eligible homeowners to help restore damaged homes and assist families in returning to safe, habitable living conditions.

Ricketts had severe damage so he received the maximum level of assistance available. The other two categories are major — under which beneficiaries receive $200,000 — and minor, which provides $70,000 in support.

Ricketts not only lost his house and its contents to the Category 5 storm but also had money washed away by flood waters. In addition, he lost tools used to ply his trade.

“I had to run out [of the house] leave everything — not even a shirt I move with. The neighbour had to give me clothes to put on. Yeah, everything was down. All my whackers and everything, they washed away, because it’s landscaping I do. So, I lost a lot of things. Two TVs, fridge, stove — two of everything. It was devastating,” explained Ricketts.

While the losses are enormous, his strong faith in God has left him convinced that the grant he received will go a long way.

“I just leave it to God, man. I know that [the grant] can push me as far as possible because with God, all things are possible,” asserted Ricketts.

The tale of destruction was similar for another nearby resident of Hudson Street who has been through a series of setbacks in recent years. Chessi Allen, whose house is made of board and concrete, has been through an earthquake, Hurricane Beryl in 2024, plus a fire razed his tailor and dressmaking shop two and a half years ago. Then, just as Allen rebuilt his shop and a section of his house, Hurricane Melissa came and took them.

“You know seh ah two straight shocks I get? One after the other. Loss… but what am I going to tell you? I’m on the losing side but I’m a strong man so I’ll live with it,” said the 73-year-old.

Allen is grateful for the help but he said the $500,000 is only a portion of the amount he needs to get back on his feet.

“It will go for paying [for] material, so I have to find money now to add to all the other little things to go along with the material,” he stated.

“[It] feel good to get something. At least somebody remembers me, because I never got a thing like this yet before,” added Allen, who is hoping that others will be assisted too.

Member of Parliament (MP) for Westmoreland Central Dwayne Vaz is also hoping there is help coming for other residents of his constituency.

“Some persons would have been assessed and some persons would have received benefits today. Not everybody would have gotten today but it’s a programme where quite a number of persons will be benefiting,” he told the Observer.

“We’re not sure of how the beneficiaries were chosen. I know the assessments were done by the ministry, and they would have been the ones now to recommend those persons who would have gotten the benefits,” stated Vaz.

He said the labour and social security ministry only provided him with information about beneficiaries the night before the handouts.

“I really haven’t gone through the listing as yet because it was a listing for Westmoreland overall — it’s not like it was a separate constituency listing — so I would have to sift through the list to find out now who are the persons, really, who will be benefiting from the programme,” explained the MP.

He expressed disappointment that aid was coming four months after the storm.

“We’re really grateful it is happening but we really would have wanted it to happen before — as in the case of everybody who is out there and really requiring this level of benefit,” said Vaz.

Minister of Labour and Social Security Pearnel Charles Jr said $1.8 billion is to be distributed to people across the country under the ROOFS programme. In Westmoreland, 827 people who have been defined as having severe damage were given grants totalling more than $413 million. There were 1,844 people in the major damage category, with a total of more than $368 million disbursed; and 70 people in the minor damage category, with a total of more than $5 million handed out.

Recently, $115 million was distributed to people in in St Elizabeth.

Charles Jr said more than 96,000 household assessments have been done by the labour and social security ministry staff and volunteers.

“So far, in the severe category — which is the persons who would receive the $500,000 if it is that they haven’t received some other benefit under the shelter recovery programme — we have 15,597 households. Under the major category we have 35,837 households, and in the minor category, so far, we have 34,368 households. This large number means that a lot of work has gone in since October end till now. And it is not to be taken for granted, it’s to be put in context… Eight months after Beryl we were able to do 19,000 household assessments,” argued Charles Jr.

“So, in half of the time we have done almost five times as much under Melissa. And it means that the Ministry of Labour and Social Security has learned lessons, and improved and upgraded, and become more efficient and effective in how we are deploying our services,” the minister added.

Westmoreland ROOFS beneficiaries and officials in attendance at the Ministry of Labour and Social Security’s Restoration of Owner-Occupant Family Shelters (ROOFS) programme in Savanna-la-Mar, Thursday. (Photos: Anthony Lewis)

Resident of Hudson Street in Savanna-la-Mar, Chessi Allen (centre) collecting his ROOFS cheque from Minister of Labour and Social Security Pearnel Charles Jr (right). With them is Member of Parliament for Westmoreland Central Dwayne Vaz.

Resident of Orchard Street in Savanna-la-Mar Victor Ricketts (centre) collecting a ROOFS cheque from Minister of Labour and Social Security Pearnel Charles Jr (right). Joining them is Member of Parliament for Westmoreland Central Dwayne Vaz.