Dennis Zulu | Hurricane Melissa: Why coordination is the difference between chaos and recovery

As I reflect on the last three weeks since Hurricane Melissa tore through southwestern Jamaica with winds exceeding 260 km/h, one thing is clear, I can tell you with certainty: the difference between effective disaster response and chaos comes down to one word coordination.

When every actor from local communities to international partners – moves in sync, lives are saved, recovery accelerates, and hope is restored. Without seamless coordination, even the best resources and intentions can collapse into confusion – costing precious time and lives.

This experience has reaffirmed that coordination isn’t just a principle; it’s the lifeline that turns disaster into resilience. The leadership and decisive action of the Jamaican government in orchestrating this coordination have been pivotal in ensuring that response efforts were unified and effective.

I have worked long days, watched mountains of debris replace thriving communities and seen the devastation – 41 per cent of Jamaica’s GDP was wiped out in a single day. Agricultural losses alone are estimated to exceed J$20 billion. Behind these staggering numbers are farmers who’ve lost their livelihoods, families searching through rubble for remnants of their lives, and children trying to make sense of a new normal.

But here’s one thing that I think is certain: when governments, UN agencies, local responders, civil society organizations, and international partners come together to synchronise their efforts, the impossible becomes possible.

COORDINATION IS LIFESAVING

In the immediate aftermath of Melissa, our nightly coordination meetings at the Jamaica Pegasus Hotel in Kingston transformed from a handful of responders to standing-room-only gatherings of over 140 humanitarian actors – their branded vests, t-shirts and caps showcasing the breadth of the humanitarian response.

Rogerio Silva, team leader for the United Nations Disaster Assessment and Coordination Team (UNDAC), runs these sessions with the precision of a conductor – each sector lead providing their “catch of the day,” the most critical update from the field needed for partners to act.

Why does this matter? Because without coordination, you never know who’s doing what, where, and for whom. You fail to see the needs and gaps. Resources get duplicated in some areas while others are forgotten. Response becomes fragmented. People fall through the cracks.

After over 30 years of responding to disasters globally, Mr. Silva, who is also the deputy head, UN Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (OCHA) Regional Office for Latin America and the Caribbean (ROLAC), puts it simply: “Coordination is second only to saving lives. I would argue they’re inseparable.” He argues that without coordination, you are working in chaos. “You need to start a momentum to bring people together. When I first arrived, I just saw people with vests and jackets in the hotel , myself, and a colleague asked them to meet us in the corridor. The first night 10 people came, the second night 50 , and from the third night we had no less than 100 people in this room.”

While UN agencies like WFP, UNICEF, IOM and PAHO have been at the forefront delivering food, shelter, health services, and water and sanitation, effective recovery requires every arm of the UN system working in concert with national and local partners. This isn’t about any single organisation – it’s about the people of Jamaica.

LONG-TERM PLANNING

As damage assessments continue, one thing is clear: Jamaica cannot simply restore what was lost – the country must build back better .

This means rethinking building codes, shelter methodologies, restoring livelihoods through strengthened local institutions, restoring health systems, and working with farmers in Jamaica’s devastated breadbasket to adopt agricultural methods suited to a country that will face increasing natural hazards.

This will take long-term planning. It will require additional funding. But most importantly, it must be government-led with coordinated support from all partners.

The timing is fortuitous. As we support Jamaica’s immediate recovery, we’re simultaneously developing the next UN Multi-Country Sustainable Development Cooperation Framework (MSDCF) 2026-2023, covering 22 Caribbean Dutch and English-speaking Caribbean nations. This five-year blueprint must integrate the hard lessons from Melissa and Hurricane Beryl before it – lessons about resilience, climate adaptation, and the infrastructure small island developing states need to withstand increasingly severe storms.

While Melissa may have provided an opportunity for local authorities to rethink national policies pertaining to building codes, it can also serve as a catalyst for Caribbean leaders to collectively champion the movement for building climate resilient countries. The time may be ripe for Caribbean SIDS to move to swiftly operationalise some of the strategies outlined in the Antigua and Barbuda Agenda for Small Island Developing States (ABAS) that addresses the vulnerabilities of Caribbean SIDS. This will not take just a Jamaica response but a whole of Caribbean response.

UNCOMFORTABLE TRUTH ABOUT CLIMATE CHANGE

Having led UN efforts through two major hurricanes – Beryl and Melissa – I can tell you without equivocation: climate change is real, and Caribbean SIDS are paying the price for a crisis they did not create.

Jamaica and other vulnerable SIDS cannot continue to absorb these devastating blows while their calls for climate adaptation support and financing fall on deaf ears. These nations, which can ill afford it, will continue facing the brunt of disasters unless the international community acknowledges their pleas for mitigation, adaptation, and financial support.

Coordination in disaster response is critical. But so is coordination on climate action – before the next Melissa forms.

THE PATH FORWARD

The road to recovery is long and uncertain. Amid the rubble that once housed industrious Jamaicans – farmers, hoteliers, small business owners, families – people are searching for normalcy, dignity, and the strength to rebuild.

They will find it. But only if we remain coordinated, committed, and present for the long haul.

The immediate response phase tested our ability to mobilise quickly. The recovery phase will test our ability to sustain coordination, attract funding, support national leadership, and build genuine resilience.

Jamaica deserves our very best – not just in these urgent weeks, but in the months and years ahead.

Dennis Zulu is the UN resident coordinator for Jamaica, The Bahamas and Turks and Caicos Islands, leading the UN Country Team’s coordination and support for sustainable development and humanitarian response. Send feedback to columns@gleanerjm.com