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The Jamaica Constabulary Force (JCF) and the Jamaica Defence Force (JDF) stand ready to provide assistance during and after the passage of Hurricane Melissa.

Police Commissioner Dr. Kevin Blake and Brigadier O’Neil Bogle from the JDF gave that assurance during a special press briefing on Friday.

Dr. Blake said the JCF’s preparedness plan has been activated in anticipation of the possible impact of the storm. This includes having the highway and mobile patrols as well as the quick response units ready for deployment.

Police Commissioner Dr. Kevin Blake

‘Our highway patrol will be deployed to monitor key arterial routes and flood-prone corridors. Our mobile patrols will maintain security in our business and residential districts, and the quick response units stand ready to support evacuation, rescue and post-impact security,’ Dr. Blake said.

He added that the JCF is coordinating with the JDF for joint monitoring of critical infrastructure, including Petrojam and the fuel depot, airports and seaports, hospitals and major medical facilities, the business districts and financial hubs, the courts, correctional facilities and all government offices, and the major road networks and bridges.

The Police Commissioner noted that in the event of the storm’s impact, damage assessment teams are in place to report on infrastructure and public safety conditions.

‘Deployment of personnel will be done to maintain order, prevent looting and support search and rescue, and this will consume a majority of our human resource deployment,’ Dr. Blake pointed out.

He said that the JCF will collaborate with the Office of Disaster Preparedness and Emergency Management (ODPEM), the JDF, local authorities and first responders to manage recovery operations.

Meanwhile, the JDF has activated its disaster protocol and is ready to provide assistance.

Brigadier O’Neil Bogle of the Jamaica Defence Force

‘The disaster assistance response team is being mobilised. We have four clearing teams comprising a number of heavy equipment, and they have been prepositioned in New Castle, St. Andrew; Burke Barracks in Montego Bay; Moneague, St. Ann; and in Up Park Camp in Kingston,’ Brigadier Bogle said.

‘The aerial assets can be used to assist with search and rescue, relief support, surveillance and of course medical evacuations if required.’

He indicated that the Jamaica Regiment, which is deployed across the country, will support the police in terms of maintaining law and order.

Brigadier Bogle also provided an update on the JDF personnel deployed in Haiti, noting that they are ‘all accounted for and in high spirits’.

Hurricane Melissa has brought intense rain to Haiti, causing floods and landslides, which have claimed the lives of three people.

Government has activated a comprehensive disaster preparedness, humanitarian and recovery plan for the expected impact of Hurricane Melissa.

Minister without Portfolio in the Ministry of Economic Growth and Job Creation, Robert Morgan, said that up to $400 million has been provided to strengthen mitigation and emergency response efforts in parishes across the island.

‘Initially, the National Works Agency (NWA), at the instruction of the Prime Minister, allocated $200 million that went to mitigation efforts, primarily from the eastern side of the island to the southern side of the island, which focused on parishes that are deemed most vulnerable,’ Morgan said.

Minister without Portfolio in the Ministry of Economic Growth and Job Creation, Robert Morgan

‘Recognising the evolution of the movement of the storm, the Prime Minister instructed that an additional $200 million be allocated for disaster preparedness,’ he added.

Morgan noted that all constituencies have received at least $3 million to support local mitigation works, which are being coordinated by the NWA in collaboration with Members of Parliament and other community partners.

He said special focus is being placed on flood-prone and low-lying areas, including Portland Cottage, sections of Portland, St. Mary, St. Thomas, St. Elizabeth and Manchester, as well as national assets like Sandy Gully.

The NWA has been fully activated to support national disaster operations, strategically pre-positioning equipment across the island and engaging local contractors to remove debris and reopen roads.

During the hurricane, the agency will work closely with the Office of Disaster Preparedness and Emergency Management (ODPEM) to respond to emergencies and restore access routes.

After the storm, Morgan said, the NWA will lead in creating single-lane access to any roads and thoroughfares that may be closed, with a primary focus on providing access to emergency services.

Prime Minister Andrew Holness added that there will be a detailed post-storm recovery framework to ensure accountability and swift assistance to affected Jamaicans.

‘There is no break in accountability, and we ask the cooperation of our citizens in providing proper identification so we can track where the benefits go, who received the benefits and for what reason,’ he said.

He stressed that even during disaster response operations, financial rules would remain in place.

‘I hasten to advise everyone, in particular the permanent secretaries, the heads of departments, and the accounting officers and the ministers, that there is no suspension of accountability rules. Even in a disaster, every dollar that is spent has to be accounted for,’ Holness stressed.

Ensuring proper accountability is crucial, the Prime Minister emphasised, not just for the Government’s records but also because international donors and philanthropic organisations, which are likely to provide support, require that their contributions be properly managed and tracked.

He urged Jamaicans to safeguard important documents, such as identification cards and birth certificates, as they will be required to access relief benefits.

‘Put them in a Ziploc bag, tie them up in a plastic bag, keep them somewhere safe because we’re going to need to be able to identify you in order to facilitate a very quick recovery process,’ Holness advised.

Meanwhile, the Government has made significant financial allocations to bolster flood mitigation and disaster preparedness measures.

Cricketer Alessandro Morris is the new president of the Cayman Islands Cricket Board (CICB), having been elected unanimously.

Morris, who represented the Caymans in the ICC World Cup qualifier in Canada earlier this year, was recently elected during an emergency board meeting.

The former vice-president takes over the position previously held by Courtney Myles, who was elected back in 2021.

Alessandro Morris

Other members of the executive include vice-president Ricardo Roach; treasurer Majin Paul; secretary Jalon Linton and directors Bruce Jalim, Cedric Gidarisingh, Andrew Ledger, Gerri-Ann Foster and Rakesh Baxani.

Morris, 43, said he was looking forward to his new role where he hoped to make a positive impact.

‘I am happy to serve my country off the field as well. I have played for the national team with some success and hopefully I can continue in the same manner off the field as well.

‘I want to thank the outgoing president, Courtney, for his work in taking the cricket up to this point and now is the time to take it even further,’ Morris said.

‘I have a strong executive with professionals on board and we will be looking to aggressively take the game forward on the island. As an Associate member of the International Cricket Council (ICC), we want to take our national team up the rankings and hopefully, not too far in the future, we can land ourselves in the World Cup.

‘We have spoken about creating a vibrant and robust youth programme and this we see as the feeder to our national ambition in becoming better,’ he further added.

Morris has played 27 T20 Internationals and has taken 35 wickets at a credible average of 16.22 and an economy rate of 5.85.

Tropical Melissa has strengthened into a Category 1 hurricane, with forecasters warning that it could rapidly intensify into a major hurricane as it nears Jamaica.

At 2 p.m., the National Hurricane Centre (NHC) reported that Hurricane Melissa’s centre was located about 145 miles (230 kilometres) southeast of Kingston, moving slowly toward the west-northwest at just 1 mile per hour (2 km/h).

Maximum sustained winds have reached 75 miles per hour (120 km/h), and forecasters say the system could strengthen significantly over the next 48 hours.

‘Melissa is expected to move near or over Jamaica during the weekend and early next week,’ the NHC said. ‘Rapid intensification is forecast to occur over the next couple of days, and Melissa is forecast to become a major hurricane by Sunday.’

A hurricane warning remains in effect for the entire island, meaning hurricane conditions are expected within 36 hours. Authorities are urging Jamaicans to rush all preparations to completion before conditions deteriorate.

Prime Minister Andrew Holness is urging Jamaicans to take the impending weather threat seriously.

‘You have nothing to lose even if it doesn’t come. If it doesn’t come and you’re prepared, fine, you have lost nothing. The greater loss is if you didn’t prepare and it came,’ he reasoned.

While encouraging Jamaicans of faith to pray, Holness cautioned citizens living on gully banks, river courses and areas that were flooded during Hurricane Beryl last year.

‘Expect that this will happen again – that there will be flooding. Take the necessary measures. I have not yet said evacuate, but if we declare a disaster, evacuation orders will be in effect,’ he said.

‘During Beryl, I received the terrible news of a youngster, I believe, playing football and running after a ball, who fell into a gully and was washed away. I urge all Jamaicans to protect themselves. There’s no need to be playing football, no need to be climbing any trees. You have been given enough notice that this weather event is coming and that it could be disastrous, so take all measures to protect yourself,’ the prime minister added.

He also reminded Jamaicans to pay attention to the bulletins and the updates.

More than 881 shelters are on standby across the island to accommodate persons during and after the passage of the system.

Acting Director General of the Office of Disaster Preparedness and Emergency Management (ODPEM), Richard Thompson, said on Friday that special attention is being given to critical parishes that are expected to be more affected by the storm based on its projected path, and there may be a need for evacuations.

These parishes are St. Mary, Portland, St. Thomas, Kingston and St. Andrew, St. Catherine, Clarendon, Manchester, St. Elizabeth, Westmoreland and Hanover. Thompson noted that focus is being placed on areas within these critical parishes that tend to experience high levels of flooding during heavy rainfall.

‘Within our evacuation protocols, transportation is critical. We have been having meetings with the transportation cell of the National Emergency Operation Centre (NEOC), and we have stated what we will be doing in terms of transportation if we have to do evacuations,’ he said.

West Indies head coach, Daren Sammy has described his team’s performance in the just concluded ODI series against Bangladesh as ‘poor and disappointing’.

The regional side produced an abysmal performance in the third and final One Day International on Thursday, losing by a mammoth 179 runs to surrender the series 2-1.

Their bowlers were scrappy, allowing the visitors to pile up 296 for eight in their 50 overs – the highest total of the three-match series – and in response they were bundled out for 117, with only Akeal Hosein, who batted at number nine, scoring more than 20.

Speaking in a post-match press conference, a visibly frustrated Sammy admitted that his troops underperformed in almost every aspect of the game.

West Indies head coach Daren Sammy

‘I’m really disappointed in the way we’ve bowled. I mean look at the ODIs we’ve played this year [against] Ireland, England, even at home against Pakistan.

‘You come in Bangladesh and spinners should be licking their lips, because that’s the area where you will get to execute your plans in the most favourable conditions for you, and what we displayed over the last three games have been very poor,’ Sammy said.

‘We’ve not been consistent enough, and all three games we’ve allowed Bangladesh to score above [average]. I thought it was more like a 3.5 runs an over pitch and every game we’ve had to score over four runs an over.

‘And with the bat, again every time the challenge comes we lie down and die, except for when a Keacy Carty or Shai Hope put their hands up in challenging times.

‘I’m very disappointed. Bangladesh played pretty well, kudos to them, but we didn’t match them skill for skill with ball, bat or in the field, so they are deserving winners,’ the head coach maintained.

Sammy said while the West Indies were not at their best in any of the three matches, he was particularly upset with the manner in which they approached the series decider.

He said even though the team had spoken about the importance of the match, their performances on the pitch left a lot to be desired.

‘I think it’s a mindset. When we explained in the dressing room what this game means; you know we’re looking for automatic qualification, we have two teams fighting for the last spot before the cut off period and then you have a series decider on the line.

‘Your mindset must be ‘I’m the one to do that’. You saw the mindset of the [Bangladesh] batters; they were like, ‘I’m going to be brave on that wicket, I’m going to set the tone’ and the score didn’t reflect the wicket. The batsmen came in, decided to be brave in the Power Play and that put us under pressure and we took so long to answer.and we paid heavily for it,’ Sammy said.

The Pan-American Health Organisation (PAHO) said on Friday that governments, civil society, youth representatives and international partners from across Latin America and the Caribbean have renewed their commitment to end violence against children and adolescents.

PAHO said the commitment was made during a high-level regional consultation that it co-hosted with the United Nations Children Fund (UNICEF).

PAHO said the region continues to have the highest rates of violence against children and adolescents worldwide.

It said nearly two out of three children aged 1 to 14 experience violent discipline at home, and one in five girls experience sexual violence before reaching 18.

PAHO said interpersonal violence remains a leading cause of death for young people.

‘Despite progress and political commitments, efforts to protect children from violence remain insufficient,’ PAHO said.

Over two days of dialogue, held virtually on October 23 and 24, PAHO said more than 300 participants – including ministers and senior officials from the health, education, justice, and child protection sectors, as well as representatives of civil society, youth leaders, and international partners – came together to discuss concrete actions to build safer environments for children and adolescents.

‘Every child has the right to grow up free from violence, safe in their homes, schools, and communities, and to enjoy a childhood full of opportunities,’ said PAHO Director Dr. Jarbas Barbosa. ‘The change we want to see in the health system is clear: health services must be in daily contact with communities.

‘When health workers identify individuals who are at-risk early and provide them with quality support, it makes a real difference to survivors of violence, their families, and communities,’ he added. ‘It is a unique opportunity to improve public trust in the response system and decisively demonstrate that violence is never justified.’

Anne-Claire Dufay, UNICEF Deputy Regional Director for Latin America and the Caribbean, said: ‘For millions of children in Latin America and the Caribbean, violence remains in their homes, schools, communities or online, undermining their mental health, fueling cycles of poverty, and even perpetuating violence into the next generations.

‘The good news is we know what works to end violence,’ she added. ‘We need bold investments to ensure every child is protected-investments in prevention, in early detection, in quality services, and in justice systems that respond with dignity and care.

‘When we protect children from violence, we are not only saving lives-we are shaping the future of the region,’ Dufay continued.

PAHO said the consultation advanced an ‘evidence-to-action agenda’ structured around four key areas for preventing and responding to violence: Legal and policy frameworks to prevent and respond to violence; parenting programs to break cycles of violence against children and adolescents; safe and enabling learning environments; and comprehensive health and protection services to respond to survivors.

PAHO said each session featured examples of good practices from countries across Latin America and the Caribbean, showcasing concrete solutions that have delivered results.

Participants underscored that effective prevention requires whole-of-government and whole-of-society approaches, with particular attention to early childhood, mental health, digital safety, and social-protection systems, PAHO said.

It said contributions from survivors, youth representatives, artists, and international experts underscored the importance of working together to drive real change.

PAHO said they reaffirmed their determination to consolidate multisectoral partnerships and strengthen collaboration between the health, education, social protection, and justice sectors, together with civil-society, survivor and youth networks, to accelerate progress toward ending violence.

Countries also made commitments to strengthen national health and protection systems that are coordinated, data-driven, and responsive to the needs of every child and adolescent, PAHO said.

It said it and UNICEF convened the Regional Ministerial Consultation on Ending Violence against Children and Adolescents in Latin America and the Caribbean ‘to exchange experiences, identify effective strategies, and strengthen regional cooperation toward achieving the commitments made at the Global Ministerial Conference to End Violence Against Children (Bogotá, 2024) and the Sustainable Development Goals 16- which calls on all countries to promote peaceful and inclusive societies, provide access to justice for all, and build effective, accountable, and inclusive institutions, including the specific target (16.2) to end abuse, exploitation, trafficking, and all forms of violence against and torture of children.’

As the Trump administration intensified its military build-up in the Caribbean, a Pentagon spokesman said on Friday that Defence Secretary Pete Hegseth has ordered the deployment of the world’s largest aircraft carrier, the USS Gerald R. Ford, and its carrier air wing, to the Caribbean in aid of what the administration says is its counter-drug initiative.

‘The enhanced US force presence in the USSOUTHCOM AOR will bolster US capacity to detect, monitor, and disrupt illicit actors and activities that compromise the safety and prosperity of the United States homeland and our security in the Western Hemisphere,’ wrote spokesman Sean Parnell on X, referring to the US military headquarters in Miami, Florida, known as the Southern Command (SOUTHCOM), which overseas US military operations in South and Central America and the Caribbean. AOR is short for Area of Responsibility.

‘These forces will enhance and augment existing capabilities to disrupt narcotics trafficking and degrade and dismantle TCOs,’ he added, alluding to Transnational Criminal Organisations.

The USS Gerald R. Ford is currently deployed in the Mediterranean.

In recent times, the Trump administration has deployed several warships and over 10,000 troops to the Caribbean in what pundits claim is a pretext for an eventual land invasion of Venezuela.

Earlier this month, Trump confirmed that he had permitted the Central Intelligence Agency (CIA) to spy on Venezuela.

The Trinidad and Tobago Ministry of Foreign and CARICOM Affairs said in a statement on Thursday that the USS Gravely, an Arleigh Burke-class destroyer, will be docked in Port-of-Spain, the Trinidad and Tobago capital, from October 26 to 30.

During that time, the ministry also said that the 22nd US Marine Expeditionary Unit and the Trinidad and Tobago Defence Force (TTDF) will conduct joint training exercises.

‘The visit strengthens US-Trinidad and Tobago military-to-military cooperation through expert exchanges focused on core infantry tactics, maintenance procedures, and advanced medical capabilities, leveraging the TTDF’s facilities to enhance tactical proficiency and enhance mutual trust,’ the statement said.

Amid the US military build-up in the Caribbean, a Vincentian diplomat in the US is urging that the Caribbean remain a Zone of Peace.

St. Vincent and the Grenadines Consul General to the United States, Rondy ‘Luta’ McIntosh, expressed profound concern while addressing an Ecumenical Service of Thanksgiving in Brooklyn, New York, commemorating St. Vincent and the Grenadines’ 46th Anniversary of Political Independence from Great Britain.

McIntosh said St. Vincent and the Grenadines marks its milestone with ‘a profound sense of hope but also heightened awareness of the global and regional threats that surround us.

‘Our region – the Caribbean – is now facing growing military tensions and geopolitical rivalries that threaten the long-standing tradition of peace in our hemisphere,’ he said. ‘These developments are sobering. And they call us, as a sovereign people, to be both vigilant and prayerful. We must not take peace for granted.

‘In this moment, I urge all of us – at home and in the Diaspora – to come together in fervent prayer; prayer for the continued safety and sovereignty of our nation and our neighbors; prayer for wisdom among our leaders and diplomats as they navigate complex and dangerous global waters; prayer for peace, even in the face of provocation,’ McIntosh added.

‘Let us boldly declare, with faith and unity, that our Caribbean must remain a Zone of Peace – a region not of warships and weapons, but of dialogue, diplomacy and dignity,’ he continued, also praying for nationals in the November 4 Mayoral Elections in New York City.

On October 18, the Caribbean Community (CARICOM) said

Heads of Government met and discussed various issues on the regional agenda, including the increased security build-up in the Caribbean and the potential impacts on Member States.

Save in respect of Trinidad and Tobago, which reserved its position, CARICOM said Heads of Government ‘reaffirmed the principle of maintaining the Caribbean Region as a Zone of Peace and the importance of dialogue and engagement towards the peaceful resolution of disputes and conflict.

‘CARICOM remains willing to assist towards that objective,’ the statement said.

It said CARICOM Heads of Government reiterated their continued commitment to fighting narcotrafficking and the illegal trade in small arms and light weapons, ‘which adversely affect the region.

‘They underscored that efforts to overcome these challenges should be through ongoing international cooperation and within international law,’ the statement said.

‘They reaffirmed unequivocal support for the sovereignty and territorial integrity of countries in the region and the safety and livelihoods of the people of the region,’ it added.

On October 17, US Senators Tim Kaine, Democratic of Virginia, a member of the US Senate Foreign Relations and Armed Services Committees, Rand Paul, Republic of Kentucky, and Adam Schiff, Democrat of California, introduced a War Powers Resolution that would block the use of US Armed Forces to engage in hostilities within or against Venezuela, following reporting that the Trump administration is considering land strikes inside that country.

‘I’m extremely troubled that the Trump administration is considering launching illegal military strikes inside Venezuela without a specific authorisation by Congress. Americans don’t want to send their sons and daughters into more wars-especially wars that carry a serious risk of significant destabilisation and massive new waves of migration in our hemisphere,’ said Kaine. ‘If my colleagues disagree and think a war with Venezuela is a good idea, they need to meet their constitutional obligations by making their case to the American people and passing an Authorisation for Use of Military Force.

‘I urge every senator to join us in stopping this Administration from dragging our country into an unauthorised and escalating military conflict,’ Kaine added.

Paul said that ‘the American people do not want to be dragged into endless war with Venezuela without public debate or a vote.

‘We ought to defend what the Constitution demands: deliberation before war,’ he said.

Schiff said the Trump administration has ‘made it clear they may launch military action inside Venezuela’s borders, and won’t stop at boat strikes in the Caribbean.

‘In recent weeks, we have seen increasingly concerning movements and reporting that undermine claims that this is merely about stopping drug smugglers,’ he said. ‘Congress has not authorised military force against Venezuela. And we must assert our authority to stop the United States from being dragged-intentionally or accidentally-into full-fledged war in South America.’

Kaine noted that War Powers Resolutions are privileged, meaning that the Senate will be required to promptly consider and vote upon the resolution.

The October 17 resolution came shortly after Kaine and Schiff introduced a similar measure focused on repeated strikes in the southern Caribbean Sea that the Trump administration has carried out without congressional authorisation, killing dozens of unknown individuals.

The legislation did not gain enough Republican support for passage.

Paul and Republican Lisa Murkowski, of Alaska, had voted with nearly all Democrats in favour of the resolution.

Pennsylvania Democratic Senator John Fetterman had joined Republicans in opposing the measure.

Speaking on the US Senate floor on Thursday, Schiff detailed the top 10 ways he said President Donald J. Trump has put America ‘on the road toward one-man rule’, including ‘the misuse of the military in our communities and overseas.’

‘I think there are any number of signs of when a democracy is in trouble, when a country is descending into a kind of dictatorship. And books have been written about this subject. No one account, I think, can comprise all of the elements of the deterioration of a democracy,’ Schiff said. ‘But there are certain telltale signs that I think we are seeing all too clearly. And my question goes to some of the things that we are witnessing that I think are hallmarks of the decline of a democracy, and that ought to be sounding a three-alarm fire for the American people.

‘First, is the misuse of the military at home and abroad – the misuse of the military abroad without the authorisation of Congress,’ Schiff added. ‘Another sign of deterioration of our democracy, when a president arrogates to himself the power to blow ships up in the Caribbean or now in the Pacific without any authority, in violation of law and the Constitution.

‘It is another sign of the president arrogating the military power to himself, to the person of himself, not to the Constitution, not to his core responsibilities, but to himself,’ he continued.

The Trinidad and Tobago Cricket Board (TTCB) has started legal action against Alicia David-Jones, a former account executive, in relation to missing funds totaling close to $500,000.

Guardian Media Sport confirmed the legal action through a response to a Freedom of Information Act request from the Judiciary, dated August 12.

The action follows a promise by TTCB attorneys-at-law Henry Chase and Navinda Ramnanan back in June, to file civil proceedings against David-Jones to recover the alleged missing funds.

As first reported by the Trinidad Guardian in November 2023, a TTCB audit by former treasurer Kiswah Chaitoo, found that up to half a million dollars in funding was missing.

Chaitoo, a forensic accountant, reported in the AGM that he was unable to verify how $132,313 of TTCB funds up to July 31, 2023 – originally allocated for administration, cleaning, match fees, training and development, travelling, as well as office and general expenses – had been spent.

According to Chaitoo, further investigations revealed that more than $500,000 was unaccounted for.

Subsequently, David-Jones, who is being sued, wrote a resignation letter, admitting to taking some of the funds.

There is also an ongoing police investigation into the matter.