Four months after Category 5 Hurricane Melissa left a path of destruction, particularly across southern and western Jamaica, the Office of Disaster Preparedness and Emergency Management (ODPEM) had spent only $26 million, or 1.8 per cent of the $1.44 billion in cash donation to assist Jamaicans devastated by the storm.

Many Jamaicans are yet to recover from the monster hurricane which levelled houses and turned ordinary Jamaicans’ lives into a virtual nightmare.

A real-time audit conducted by Auditor General Pamela Monroe Ellis found that, as at February 23, 2026, cash balances of approximately $569.6 million and US$5.9 million remained in ODPEM’s Jamaica and United States donation accounts, respectively.