ALONGSIDE concerns raised by the auditor general over the slow spending of Hurricane Melissa relief donations, Opposition spokesman on trade, industry and global logistics Anthony Hylton is also raising alarm over what he described as a breakdown in the handling of relief supplies at ports and warehouses across Jamaica.

Speaking at a press conference at the Office of the Leader of the Opposition on Monday, Hylton claimed that relief items donated by charities, Diaspora organisations, and community groups became trapped in prolonged delays, rising storage charges, and administrative confusion — instead of quickly reaching hurricane victims.

The criticism follows the release of the auditor general’s real-time audit of the Hurricane Melissa Relief Initiative, which identified broader weaknesses in governance, oversight, and disaster management systems following the Category 5 hurricane that struck Jamaica on October 28, 2025.

While much of the public attention surrounding the audit has focused on the finding that only 1.8 per cent of the $1.44 billion in donations had been spent by February 2026, Hylton argued that a parallel crisis unfolded quietly inside Jamaica’s logistics and cargo systems.

“Individuals, community groups, Diaspora organisations are being billed by freight and storage operators for delays caused by governmental inaction. [And] in several documented cases, individuals and organisations have had to make the painful choice between paying fees that have ballooned over the weeks and months or abandoning the goods entirely,” he said.

According to Hylton, even shipments that secured charitable certificates intended to waive many port-related charges, still became caught in extended delays.

“Perishable goods — including food items, medical supplies, and other consumables — have been reported as having deteriorated or gone bad entirely while awaiting clearance. This represents not only a waste of donated resources, but a profound failure of the duty of care owed to both donors and intended beneficiaries,” he alleged.

Hylton argued that Jamaica should have been better prepared for post-disaster logistics challenges, particularly after lessons emerging from Hurricane Beryl in 2024 and the annual congestion routinely experienced during the Christmas shipping period.

He also referenced findings in the auditor general’s report relating to the Office of Disaster Preparedness and Emergency Management’s disaster relief portal, which auditors said was mainly used for donors to upload information and not to generate operational reports on incoming relief supplies.

“A portal that receives information but produces no actionable management output is not a logistic system, it is a registration form,” said Hylton.

He also warned that the issue risks damaging Jamaica’s reputation among international donors and Diaspora groups who mobilised quickly after the hurricane.

“The result is that 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,” he said.

He is now calling for the Government to publish a full accounting of relief goods still sitting in storage facilities or abandoned at ports, while establishing a formal disaster logistics protocol ahead of the 2026 hurricane season, which starts June 1.