Premier Juliana O’Connor-Connolly delivered financial and humanitarian aid on Thursday to Jamaica, still reeling from the devastating impacts of Hurricane Beryl earlier this month.
O’Connor-Connolly led a delegation of government officials to Kingston, Jamaica in her third stop this week to offer aid to hurricane-hit islands.
The premier also travelled aboard a chartered Cayman Airways flight, together with ministers and members of Parliament, to Grenada and St. Vincent and the Grenadines on Tuesday to deliver much-needed assistance to those islands. Assistance was also offered to Barbados.
During her trip to Jamaica, the premier met with Prime Minister Andrew Holness and representatives of the Jamaican government.
The delegation toured communities in the parish of Clarendon and delivered medical supplies donated from the Health Services Authority and Health City Cayman Islands.
”As we accept the grace we received from Hurricane Beryl, it is also our duty as a neighbour with strong historical ties to the nation of Jamaica to extend kindness at this time. It brought me much joy to personally interact with Prime Minister Holness and Members of his Cabinet and offer direct support and encouragement”, Premier O’Connor-Connolly said in a statement.
The donation comes as part of the US$1.2 million pledge by the Cayman Islands Government to assist the four Caribbean countries most impacted by Hurricane Beryl, the government statement said.
Prime Minister Holness, in a post on X, formerly Twitter, thanked the Cayman Islands for the support.
“Jamaica, our friends stand with us in times of need,” he said, adding that he had the honour of welcoming Premier O’Connor-Connolly and her delegation from the Cayman Islands to Jamaica House.
“In a true display of friendship and the familial bonds between our two countries, the Premier presented us with a cheque of US$200,000 and care packages to support our recovery from Hurricane Beryl. This act of kindness will make a real difference, especially for our brothers and sisters in the worst-affected areas,” he said.
Jamaica, our friends stand with us in times of need! 🇯🇲🫱🏽🫲🏾🇰🇾
This morning, I had the honour of welcoming Premier Juliana O’Connor-Connolly and her delegation from the Cayman Islands to Jamaica House.
In a true display of friendship and the familial bonds between our two… pic.twitter.com/X0uCM0k0lz
— Andrew Holness (@AndrewHolnessJM) July 18, 2024
The donation was made to the ‘Building A Better Jamaica’ Fund, led by the National Commercial Bank of Jamaica and its philanthropic arm, the NCB Foundation, the Cayman Islands Government statement said.
The funding will go towards providing relief to communities most adversely affected by Hurricane Beryl.
Holness said the funds will be administered through the Office of Disaster Preparedness and Emergency Management.
“To the people of the Cayman Islands, your swift response and generosity are a testament to our strong relationship, and we are deeply grateful. We will rebuild and emerge stronger,” Holness said in his post.
The Cayman delegation was briefed on the level of damage incurred to the island, particularly along its southern coast. Ideas were exchanged between leaders on recovery and resiliency, as well as the need for regional collaboration on preparedness.
Premier O’Connor-Connolly assured Holness and his team that a seven-person team of CUC linesmen would be arriving 23 July to join the effort to restore electricity to Jamaican communities. She said this was confirmed by CUC CEO Richard Hew.
“Based on my tour of impacted areas, the needs are great. Therefore, we will be reaching out to the Cayman Islands community to coordinate a drive for relief items for Jamaica,” the premier added.
The premier was accompanied on the trip by Parliamentary Secretary and MP McKeeva Bush, Cabinet Secretary Samuel Rose, Honorary Consul of Jamaica Joseph Marzouca, Senior Special Advisor Darrel Rankine, and the Director of Communications Oneisha Richards.
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