Kristen Gyles | Antidote to hurricane relief misinformation

Recently, while speaking at the handover of a house to a beneficiary under the New Social Housing Programme, the prime minister (PM) expressed concern that false narratives were being spread surrounding the government’s handling of hurricane relief funds. He also floated the idea of the government releasing the list of beneficiaries who have so far received hurricane relief grants, in light of accusations that the government has been mismanaging hurricane relief funding.

This is an idea worth exploring. Some Jamaicans, though few in number, have openly suggested that the government “nyam di money”. These people do not necessarily represent the average Jamaican, but what many people have become increasingly concerned about is the level of urgency with which funds have been utilised up to one year after the hurricane, and how prudently relief funds have been and are being utilised.

Beenie Man, the ‘King of the Dancehall’, recently gave an interview with UK-based ITV News and expressed the view that the government has failed to distribute hurricane relief funds appropriately, since those who really need the funds have not been getting any.

Unsurprisingly, the PM clapped back. While giving a speech at the reopening of the Black River Hospital, which has now been significantly upgraded following severe damage caused by Hurricane Melissa, the prime minister made a tongue-in-cheek comment, noting that “the minister neglected to invite Beenie Man”. He expounded by suggesting that, if Beenie Man had been invited, he would have seen first-hand how the government has been spending on the recovery.

The antidote to misinformation is the correct information.

A part of what has been fuelling the narrative that the government is handling or distributing hurricane relief funds poorly is the fact that information pertaining to the distribution of funds has been scarce. Information has been so scarce that, up until just a few days ago, Jamaicans had absolutely no idea how much money had actually been spent on the hurricane recovery.

RELEASED INFORMATION

Perhaps, in a bid to control the public relations ‘damage’ caused by Beenie Man sharing his candid views on an international stage, the government released information indicating that J$84 billion has so far been spent on Hurricane Melissa relief and recovery. It also provided a breakdown of the funds, which included a US$150-million loan to the Jamaica Public Service Company (JPS).

What remains unclear is exactly how much funding the government received towards the recovery. First, from the information made available to the public so far, it would appear that not much more than JA$44 billion was received in hurricane relief funding, with no need for repayment. This would include:

– US$150 million received on December 1, 2025, in connection with the 2024 World Bank catastrophe bond

– US$91.9 million received between October and November 2025 from the Caribbean Catastrophe Risk Insurance Facility (CCRIF) in insurance payouts

– US$12 million in technical assistance and grant funding received in 2025 from the IDB, World Bank and CAF (Development Bank of Latin America and the Caribbean)

– US$22 million in emergency funding received in 2025 from the US government

– J$1.69 billion in hurricane relief donations received from Jamaicans, friends of Jamaica, and regional and international partners

We still don’t know exactly how much credit has been drawn down from the IMF, Inter-American Development Bank (IDB) , Caribbean Development Bank, World Bank and other international agencies from which credit was made available.

Between Beenie Man’s interview and the PM’s response, one lesson is hard to ignore. Transparency is not just a nice corporate governance concept that can be passed over when things get hard to explain. It is necessary for maintaining a basic level of trust.

DON’T LOOK GOOD

It took the government one year to provide information on its hurricane relief and recovery expenditure, information Jamaicans had been asking for ad nauseam. What happened while we sat waiting on answers? A public relations disaster of international reach. Besides Beenie Man’s ITV interview, many of us have seen videos on social media of irate foreign donors demanding information on how their donations were used. These things really don’t look good. And, well, they could have been avoided with just a little bit more transparency, a little bit earlier.

People will talk about what they know and also what they don’t know but think they know. In the absence of actual information, the former decreases and the latter increases.

The PM’s comment about Beenie Man having not been invited to the Black River Hospital reopening may not have been intended to be taken seriously, but the comment does demonstrate a particular mindset. Even if Beenie Man and all of Jamaica had been invited to the reopening of the hospital, that would not have addressed the question of how much money had been received in aggregate and how much money had been spent in aggregate, and on what recovery activities or initiatives.

Singular or isolated stories of individuals being helped or projects being undertaken do not answer these broader questions. What is needed in a time of mounting distrust and cynicism is a detailed accounting of funds received and funds spent, and periodic updates to those figures.

What will help to dispel claims that hurricane relief funds are not reaching those in need is not showcasing one, or two, or a few beneficiaries whose lives have been improved, but providing a verifiable and comprehensive record of those who have gotten assistance. This is why there is a strong case for making the list of beneficiaries of hurricane relief grants publicly accessible, with appropriate privacy protections. Jamaicans should be able to independently establish who received assistance, how much they received, and why they qualified for assistance.

A government that has nothing to hide has everything to gain from transparency.

Kristen Gyles is a free-thinking public affairs opinionator. Send feedback to kristengyles@gmail.com and columns@gleanerjm.com