Charmaine Allen, Westmoreland representative of CCRP (Caribbean Community of Retired Persons), had a frightening experience at her house in Darliston when Hurricane Melissa caused widespread destruction in the town. She and her sister, who was visiting from abroad, tried to secure the house as much as they could, but as her roof peeled off and her house flooded they had to escape to her car, which had debris around it, but, thankfully, no direct hit.

Two days ago we took care packages donated by Food For the Poor Jamaica to elderly folks in Darliston. Allen, my husband, and I were assisted by officers David Spence and Faye Smith from the Darliston Police Station, also badly damaged by the storm. Although electricity had been restored on Friday to a section of the business area, neither Allen nor the police had power, as many lines were still down.

Despite this, Allen was more concerned about the elderly than for herself. She guided us to their homes, some difficult to access, and gave words of cheer to the elderly, two of whom were bedridden. One of the elderly women had been assaulted two years ago, and it was Allen who had organised with us and her pastor to give assistance and comfort.

A Manning’s School alumna, Allen is hoping that the distinctive spire at the front of the school will be rebuilt. On our drive through Savanna-la-Mar and Ferris, we saw new construction and heavy traffic. However, there are still many missing roofs and battered buildings. We hope that the construction plans announced will help our brave but suffering citizens.

Throughout the Christmas season, the Digicel Foundation is bringing renewed hope to families impacted by Hurricane Melissa through the distribution of $30 million JMD in Hardware and Lumber Limited vouchers to support home repairs and rebuilding efforts, with a strong focus on western Jamaica, where communities were among the hardest hit.
This initiative forms part of the Foundation’s ongoing hurricane relief and recovery
programme, which has seen volunteers on the ground weekly, delivering critical
assistance to vulnerable families, schools, and special needs institutions since the
passage of the storm.
“Christmas is a time of hope and togetherness and we wanted to ensure that families
who were severely impacted by Hurricane Melissa are not forgotten,” said Charmaine
Daniels, CEO of the Digicel Foundation. “These hardware vouchers represent our
commitment to helping families restore dignity, safety, and stability as they move
forward.”
In addition to hardware vouchers, the Digicel Foundation has expanded its care
packages to include essential hygiene supplies, such as soap, deodorant, toothpaste,
and toothbrushes. The care packages also include solar lights, helping families navigate
ongoing power challenges. These enhanced packages continue to be distributed
alongside food assistance to communities still facing disruption months after the
hurricane.
To date, the Foundation’s hurricane relief efforts have reached 35 communities and
groups across the island, delivering over 6,000 food packages and more than 900
hygiene packages, with 1,000 hardware vouchers set to be distributed as part of this
phase of recovery.