Twenty-two days into the Hurricane Melissa recovery effort in St. James, work crews have successfully cleared 1,636 truckloads of mud and debris from the communities of Catherine Hall and West Green.
These areas were among the hardest hit by the category-five system's recent passage, and the ongoing operations reflect the Government's commitment to restoring safety, mobility, and normalcy for residents.
Speaking with journalists after Thursday's (November 20) meeting of the Emergency Operations Centre at the St. James Municipal Corporation, Mayor of Montego Bay, Councillor Richard Vernon, described the clean-up as the largest ever undertaken in the city following a natural disaster.
"With the flooding that followed Hurricane Melissa, we saw approximately 150,000 tons of mud deposited across roadways and inside homes. This is the largest flood event we have documented in Montego Bay, and Catherine Hall became our ground zero," he said.
Recovery operations began with a modest fleet of trucks and equipment, but quickly escalated as the full scale of damage became evident.
"We started with light deployment... but within days, we increased to 15 tipper trucks and eight backhoes. As health and safety concerns emerged, we further ramped up to 30 trucks, tipper loaders, and 12 bobcats, allowing for massive debris removal," Councillor Vernon outlined.
He highlighted that assistance from the central government significantly accelerated the operations.
The Mayor expressed gratitude to Prime Minister, Dr. the Most Hon. Andrew Holness, for assigning Minister without Portfolio in the Ministry of Economic Growth and Infrastructure Development with Responsibility for Works, Hon. Robert Morgan, and Minister without Portfolio in the Office of the Prime Minister with Responsibility for Science, Technology and Special Projects, Dr. the Hon. Andrew Wheatley, to support the efforts led by the Municipal Corporation and the National Solid Waste Management Authority (NSWMA).
Temporary holding sites have been established within the affected communities to facilitate the removal of debris, with all material scheduled for transfer to the landfill upon completion of the project.
The Mayor noted that operations remain on track to transition into a phase of full sanitisation.
"Water trucks are washing roads, sidewalks, and driveways using bleach and sanitising agents to reduce health risks, as we move towards closure of this phase by the end of this week," he said.
The Jamaica Defence Force (JDF) has deployed 100 officers to assist vulnerable households with cleaning and restoration.
In addition, private partners, including Barnett Estate, Rainforest Seafoods, and China Harbour Engineering Company (CHEC)have contributed heavy equipment and personnel to bolster the operations.
Mayor Vernon noted that the 22 days of sustained effort "have borne significant fruit", with full restoration of Catherine Hall and West Green expected in the near future.