AFTER receiving $1.44 billion in donations by February 23, 2026 to assist Jamaicans devastated by Hurricane Melissa, the Office of Disaster Preparedness and Emergency Management (ODPEM) had spent just $26.2 million, or 1.8 per cent of the funds, by that date, according to an Auditor General’s Department report tabled in Parliament on Tuesday.

The real-time audit of the Hurricane Melissa Relief Initiative, which examined financial management and procurement under the Government’s Roof Restoration Programme, also found that $34 million worth of roofing materials could not be properly verified because the supplies had not been supported by signed delivery slips or goods received notes (GRNs), while a further $141.1 million in committed expenditure lacked confirmed payment documentation.

The report painted a troubling picture of Jamaica’s disaster recovery framework almost six months after Hurricane Melissa, which battered sections of the island on October 28, 2025.