Original article written by: Juboy
1. Hook / Introduction
Mi ago ask yuh straight up — every time a hurricane pass Jamaica, yuh ever notice seh di talk bout government relief always louder dan di wind weh mash up wi fence? 😤
2. Di Real Struggle – Why People A Ask Question
Jamaicans nuh ungrateful — wi just tired fi hear promise weh nuh match di ground reality. When hurricane like Melissa, Ivan, or Elsa mash wi up, di poor man always feel it di most.
Yuh see, when di roof fly off uptown, insurance cover it. But downtown? Is tarpaulin an hope. Di relief system nuh always reach di ghetto fast enough, an dat cause frustration.
Mi reason wid one man inna Duhaney Park who lose half him furniture, an him tell mi:
“Dem seh truck a come wid food, but a three day now an mi still a wait. Is mi neighbor gi mi two tin mackerel fi survive.”
A so wi deh yah — resilient but ignored.
3. Common Misconception – “Government A Do All Dem Can”
Nuff people defend di government an seh dem a try dem best. But mi ago tell yuh di truth — trying nuh always equal effective.
4. How Relief Suppose Fi Work (An Why It Nuh Always Work So)
Inna a perfect world, dis a how di system fi run:
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Assessment: Parish office check damage.
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Distribution: NWA or ODPEM send truck wid supply to di hardest-hit community.
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Follow-Up: Social workers visit homes, record loss, an help wid rebuild plan.
But wah really happen? Bureaucracy mash up di speed. Paperwork slow, politician pick which area fi visit first, an poor community get lef’ till last.
One woman from Sav-la-Mar tell mi plain:
“If yuh nuh have link or if yuh area nuh deh pon di news, nobody nuh come.”
5. Deep Dive – Wah Di Experts Seh
Some disaster management experts seh Jamaica problem nuh di lack of supplies — a di system weh deliver dem.
Dem seh:
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Relief truck often delay cause a poor road condition.
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Communication between government branch dem weak.
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Nuff time, relief come widout proper record, so corruption slip in.
Mi even read one local report weh mention seh “up to 40% of relief items nuh reach di intended community.” 😳
6. Real-Life Story – Miss Cherry From Portland
“Juboy, a mi family an di youth dem from di lane fix it up. Government neva come.”
Yet, when election time come, everybody remember Miss Cherry lane.
7. Mistakes Jamaica Keep Mekking Wid Relief
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Too much red tape. Paper before people.
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No proper record system. Supplies miss, an nobody accountable.
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Overdependence on foreign aid. Wi wait pon international help instead of build local resilience.
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No community training. People nuh know weh fi go or who fi call when disaster strike.
8. Wah Wi Can Do Different
Maybe wi need one national disaster app, weh people can log damage direct, so ODPEM can’t seh dem never know.
9. Quick Action Plan Fi Jamaicans After Di Next Storm
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Link yuh community rep an find out weh di official drop-off or pick-up point deh.
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Document yuh damage wid picture an video — date stamp it.
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Report through multiple channel — ODPEM, local MP office, social media tag.
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Join community cleanup. Even if relief slow, fix what yuh can fi prevent mosquito an sickness.
10. Conclusion – Wi Deserve Better
Jamaica full a strong people, but strong nuh mean wi fi settle. Every hurricane season test wi patience an wi system. But after so much year, wi deserve one relief structure weh actually function.
Wi cyaan keep rebuild every time breeze blow — wi need sustainable preparedness, not photo ops.
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