KINGSTON, Jamaica — Anthony Hylton, the Opposition spokesman on trade, industry and global logistics, is calling on the Government to immediately provide an account of all hurricane-donated goods that remain uncollected at ports and cargo facilities.

Hylton’s call follows an Auditor General’s Department report tabled in Parliament on Tuesday, which revealed that after receiving $1.44 billion in donations by February 23, 2026, to assist Jamaicans devastated by Hurricane Melissa, the Office of Disaster Preparedness and Emergency Management (ODPEM) had only spent $26.2 million, or 1.8 per cent of the funds.

The auditor general also found that ODPEM still held approximately $569.6 million and US$5.9 million in hurricane donation accounts as at February 23, 2026, including $138.8 million and US$101,974 left unspent from Hurricane Beryl relief donations before fundraising for Hurricane Melissa had even begun.

READ: Millions unspent

“Jamaica presented itself to the world as a country in need of help, which we were, received that help and then subjected the very people who responded with generosity to a bureaucratic and financial ordeal. That reputational damage extends beyond our shores, and it risks undermining future donor confidence in Jamaica’s capacity to manage international assistance,” Hylton said at a People’s National Party (PNP) press conference on Monday.

He said small Jamaican businesses and diaspora-led organisations that mobilised quickly to ship resources are among those affected, many of whom, he noted, do not have the financial resources to absorb extended storage fees or the legal capacity to navigate disputes with freight operators.

“The Opposition calls on the Government to immediately publish a full accounting of all donated goods that remain uncollected in storage or that have been abandoned at Jamaican ports and cargo facilities,” Hylton urged.

Additionally, he called for a full accounting of goods that were spoiled and shipped to the dump.

He also called for the establishment of a relief mechanism to waive or reimburse storage fees incurred by donors of hurricane relief goods.

“Looking ahead, the Opposition demands that the Government develop and publish a comprehensive disaster protocol before the start of the 2026 hurricane season, covering customs clearance, port handling, cold chain management for perishables and medical products and coordination with freight operators to ensure that what happened after Hurricane Melissa never happens [again],” he concluded.