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Critical Shortage of Building Materials, Power, and Funding Stalls Recovery in Hard-Hit Communities
Four months after Hurricane Melissa devastated Jamaica with 190 mph winds, families remain unable to return home or are living in damaged structures as recovery efforts face critical shortages of building materials, power infrastructure, and sustained funding. Good360’s recent needs assessment found that entire coastal communities do not have adequate support, with many left unable to begin rebuilding, working, or attending school regularly.
The October 28th storm, Jamaica’s worst weather event in four decades, obliterated up to 90% of structures in some coastal communities and isolated more than 120 areas through flooding and landslides. While initial emergency relief reached affected areas within weeks, long-term recovery in the hardest-hit parishes of St. Elizabeth, Clarendon, Westmoreland, and Hanover has stalled. Good360 conducted its assessment in tandem with partner Global Empowerment Mission (GEM) and other nonprofit and government partners.
Key Findings from Good360’s January Long-Term Recovery Needs Assessment:
- Housing and rebuilding needs: The number one request throughout the assessment was rebuilding supplies for homes. Displaced families cannot return to work or school until homes and basic utilities are restored. Local materials are scarce and expensive, and households urgently need access to proper roofing, hardware, and appliances.
- Livelihoods crisis: Entire fishing villages remain without roofs, functional boats, or fishing equipment. Through one-on-one conversations, the team heard firsthand that fisherfolk need wire to rebuild fishing traps, followed by fiberglass to repair boats. Assistance has not reached every household, and many fisherfolk reported receiving nothing. While support has largely reached boat captains, crew members who make up the majority of fishing communities are still in need
- Schools as recovery infrastructure: Across affected parishes, free government schools are economic lifelines. When schools close, parents cannot work; when they reopen, communities can begin to recover. Hurricane Melissa left schools with destroyed classrooms, collapsed roofs, and ruined supplies. While some schools have reopened, others remain closed or are operating out of temporary facilities.
- Power failure: Widespread electrical grid collapse continues to disrupt essential services, community safety, and communications. Solar power systems are among the most requested items for both recovery and long-term storm resilience.
- Economic impacts on the tourism industry. Hurricane Melissa reinforced the vital role tourism plays in Jamaica’s economy, contributing 35% of national GDP and supporting more than 500,000 livelihoods. As the country welcomes visitors again and advances recovery efforts, strategic investment and continued support offers an opportunity to strengthen resilience, protect jobs, and position Jamaica’s tourism sector for sustained growth.
- Mental health crisis: Psychological distress is a growing concern, especially among children. At Culloden Infant School in Westmoreland, Devonte, a five-year-old, spoke at length about watching his classroom be destroyed and the nightmares about drowning that still wake him up at night. Teachers, health workers, and those supporting the humanitarian response are serving as frontline trauma support workers without dedicated resources or training.
“Walking through Jamaica’s hardest-hit communities, I met families still living in homes without a roof, children without school supplies, fisherfolk without nets or boats. The supplies they need — plywood, fishing wire, tools, school materials — exist in abundance in warehouses across North America right now. What’s missing is the funding to move them. People are eager to restart their lives, get back to work, and rebuild. With hurricane season beginning in June, communities need support now so they can be ready before the next storm arrives. Sustained investment from the international donor community is urgent — and it cannot wait.” — Morgan Loomis, Vice President of Disaster Response and Recovery at Good360
Notes to Editors:
- Photos from the assessment can be found here, please credit “James Buck for Good360” if used.
- Fisherfolk is the preferred term used by the community.
- Good360’s Disaster Response & Recovery team conducted on-the-ground assessments in Jamaica from January 12-16, 2026.
Good360 mobilized within 48 hours after Hurricane Melissa made landfall in Jamaica, deploying nearly $500,000 worth of critical supplies from corporate partners, providing generators, hygiene kits, outdoor gear, and essential household items to affected communities. Working in close partnership with GEM and in coordination with IOM’s Shelter Cluster, Good360 established distribution hubs across Jamaica to enable rapid deployment and last-mile delivery, reaching thousands of people across Westmoreland Parish, Black River, and other hard-hit communities. As Jamaica transitions from emergency relief to long-term recovery, Good360 remains deeply engaged, coordinating with corporate donors, nonprofit partners, and government agencies to deliver targeted support while prepositioning supplies ahead of the June 2026 hurricane season to ensure faster, more efficient deployment when the next storm strikes.
