Permanent Secretary in the Office of the Prime Minister (OPM) Dr Rocky Meade has offered an explanation for why the Office of Disaster Preparedness and Emergency Management (ODPEM) spent only two per cent of the $1.44 billion in cash donations received to assist victims of Hurricane Melissa more than six months after the Category 5 storm devastated the western belt of the country.

The auditor general had also highlighted in her compliance audit report that $138 million and US$101,974 in Hurricane Melissa cash donations remained unspent when the report was tabled in Parliament in May.

However, Meade’s explanation, which comes several months after the report was tabled, appears to differ from an earlier response ODPEM gave to the Auditor General’s Department in April 2026.