Janet Silvera/Gleaner Writer

TUI UK passengers on arrival into the arrivals hall just outside customs at the Sangster International Airport earlier this month. They were among the first UK passengers to arrive on a charter flight from the UK since the passage of Hurricane Melissa.
December 9, 2025 by Janet Silvera

TUI resumes UK charter flights after Melissa

WESTERN BUREAU: Jamaica’s arrival numbers remain sharply down three weeks after Hurricane Melissa battered the island, leaving thousands of hotel rooms offline until well into 2026. But on Monday, a…
Jevaughn leads his wife, Jordine, down the stairs of their wedding venue.
December 9, 2025 by Janet Silvera

A love long-nurtured: The Gaynors tie the knot

WESTERN BUREAU: Some love stories rush, but this one ripened slowly. Years of easy friendship blossomed into a deep, unexpected devotion, culminating in a tender seaside celebration where Jordine…
Roderick ‘Latty’ Brissett.
December 9, 2025 by Janet Silvera

‘Latty survived the hurricane, but not the mud’

On his 68th birthday, Roderick ‘Latty’ Brissett felt only a little feverish. By the fourth day, the man who seldom got sick slipped away, taken by leptospirosis after the storm. Brissett ran every…
MegaMart Montego Bay severely damaged by floods caused by Hurricane Melissa
December 9, 2025 by Janet Silvera

MEGA BLOW

WESTERN BUREAU: MegaMart Wholesale Club is to permanenty close its largest store – located in Montego Bay, St James – after suffering catastrophic flood damage during the passage of Hurricane Melissa.…
Niurka Garcia-Linton (left), director of sales at RIU Resorts – Jamaica, addresses the media during a press briefing at RIU Montego Bay on Wednesday, as Somae Pitkin-Shakes, human resource manager, RIU Montego Bay, looks on.
December 9, 2025 by Janet Silvera

RIU commits US$2.3m support as 800 staff homes damaged

WESTERN BUREAU: RIU Hotels & Resorts has launched a multimillion-dollar recovery programme for more than 4,000 Jamaican employees, mobilising US$2.3 million in aid, interest-free credit and…
Alexandra Ghisays, Issa Trust Foundation board member, along with the team from Couples Tower Isle, preparing to distribute care packages to the staff of the hotel last Friday.
December 9, 2025 by Janet Silvera

Couples Resorts sets up disaster relief fund as more than 100 staff lose homes

WESTERN BUREAU: Couples Resorts has launched a multimillion-dollar relief initiative to support employees and surrounding communities devastated by Hurricane Melissa, which struck western Jamaica on…
Barbados Prime Minister Mia Mottley discusses plans her country has to help with disaster recovery in Jamaica with residents of Whitehouse, Westmoreland, on Monday. A field hospital designated for Savanna-la-Mar will arrive on the island today, along with
December 9, 2025 by Janet Silvera

Mottley calls for fiscal space to help Jamaica bounce back from Melissa

WESTERN BUREAU: Barbados Prime Minister Mia Amor Mottley has called for urgent international support to ensure Jamaica gets the fiscal breathing room it needs to rebuild after Hurricane Melissa.…
News
December 9, 2025 by Janet Silvera

Holness: Every dollar will be accounted for

WESTERN BUREAU: Prime Minister Dr Andrew Holness is seeking to assure Jamaicans and international partners that all Hurricane Melissa recovery funds will be strictly monitored, insisting there will be…
St James Southern Member of Parliament Nickeisha Burchell (fourth left) accepts a solar street light from Bhasker Reddy Sharu and members of the Montego Bay Indian community last Friday at the Heinz School in Montego Bay.
December 9, 2025 by Janet Silvera

Indian community in MoBay raises $10m for hurricane recovery

WESTERN BUREAU: The Indian community in Montego Bay, St James, has raised $10 million to support recovery efforts across the parish and has committed to help restore one of the worst-affected schools…