FIVE and a half months after Hurricane Melissa battered Westmoreland, many residents are still living under tarpaulin-covered roofs. Some are weather-worn while others have been recently replaced, but tarpaulins remain stretched across damaged rooftops, bearing silent witness to the slow pace of recovery.

While some homeowners await insurance payouts, others continue to depend on the disbursement of Government-issued hurricane relief funds. For many, however, access to essential building materials has become an unexpected challenge tied to the Government’s voucher initiative — Restoration of Owner or Occupant Family Shelters (ROOFS) Programme which provides financial assistance to rebuild homes that were damaged by Melissa and assessed as having sustained minor, major, or severe damage.

Concerns are mounting in the parish that political affiliations might be influencing which hardware stores are selected to participate in the initiative. This has reportedly excluded several capable suppliers, even as participating outlets struggle to meet demand. The result is a frustrating imbalance: Some approved hardwares face shortages and delays while others, well-stocked but not on the programme, are unable to assist voucher holders.

One such business is Clarke’s Hardware in George’s Plain, a long-established supplier serving customers across western Jamaica. Owner Lorna Clarke insists that her operation has maintained consistent stock levels despite the surge in demand following the hurricane. She noted that proactive ordering of supplies has helped her business stay ahead of shortages. “We have different suppliers, so we don’t have that problem. If one has none, we contact the next [one],” she told the Jamaica Observer.

Despite this, Clarke says both she and her customers are feeling the strain.

“Since the hurricane there has been no rest. Between supplying our customers and repairing my own home, it has been Sunday to Sunday,” she explained. She added that many of her customers are frustrated that her business is not part of the voucher programme. Their main complaint is the distance they have to travel to find a location that is on the programme. “When they go to those locations they are not getting through because they have no supplies. They have to be checking all over,” she said.

Clarke emphasised that her hardware is well-equipped to handle demand across difficult terrain, with delivery capabilities extending to Hanover, Bluefields, Beeston Spring, and other remote communities. This, she argued, makes her exclusion even more puzzling, given the ongoing needs of residents in hard-to-reach areas. Some customers who have used other hardwares, such as Nepaul’s Hardware in Savanna-la-Mar, have stated that they didn’t experience any delays in getting materials purchased. However, Shauna-kay Malcolm, a registered farmer, said she used her own cash to purchase the material as she did not have the time to wait on government aid. Nepaul’s Hardware is not listed on the government programme.

Central Westmoreland Member of Parliament Dwayne Vaz is refuting claims that the hardware stores were selected through his office.

“The choices were made directly from the Ministry [of Labour and Social Security], I had nothing to do with it,” Vaz contended. “When hardware owners call me, I direct them to the Minister [Pearnel Charles Jr], and they have since been added after contacting him.”

Vaz has stated that there are concerns with the locations of hardware stores, as people who reside in certain communities have to travel unnecessary distances to redeem their vouchers, costing them more in delivery fees when there are other stores closer to them.

Additionally, he has said he’s received calls from residents who say when they go to a hardware store to redeem their voucher, the hardware scans the voucher, taking payment for supplies, they don’t have stock, forcing the residents to wait to collect as vouchers that are already scanned cannot be redeemed at other locations as the balance would have already been deducted.

One resident from Georges Plain, Angela Green, told the Sunday Observer that it will cost her more to get her supplies as she has to go to a hardware in Savanna-la-Mar or Retreat, which are five miles and 52 miles away, respectively. Instead, she said she could have gone to Clarke’s Hardware, which is only three miles from her home in Georges Plain.

Amid the delays due to unavailability of material for rebuilding, residents are thinking that, once again, they have been forgotten.

Calls are growing for greater transparency and oversight in how businesses are selected for the ROOFS programme as recovery efforts continue. Stakeholders argue that Government representatives should conduct on-the-ground assessments to better understand the realities facing both suppliers and residents because for many in Westmoreland, the issue is not just about access to materials, it is also about fairness, efficiency, and ensuring that recovery resources reach those who need them most.

A number of houses are still donning tarpaulins on their rooftops.

Some homeowners are awaiting insurance payouts as they weather the rains in Westmoreland, hoping that their tarpaulins will keep them dry.