UK MPs push for extra aid and visas as Jamaica reels from Hurricane Melissa | Jamaica

British MPs have joined campaigners calling for more aid and humanitarian visas for Jamaicans to enter the UK after Hurricane Melissa destroyed parts of the country, plunging hundreds of thousands of people into a humanitarian crisis.

The UK has pledged £7.5 million in emergency funds to Jamaica and other hurricane-hit islands, but many say the country has a moral obligation to do more for the Caribbean’s former colonies.

Dawn Butler, Labor MP for Brent East and chair of the UK’s all-party parliamentary group on Jamaica, published on

Butler said that at an emergency meeting in his constituency, which has one of the largest Jamaican populations in the UK, there were calls to ease visa restrictions for children and elderly people affected by the hurricane who might be staying with relatives in the UK.

“The UK has a long and enduring relationship with Jamaica and I am confident that with compassion and collaboration we can play a vital role in supporting those who need it most during this difficult time,” the letter said.

Hackney North and Stoke Newington MP Diane Abbott supported Butler’s calls and said Jamaica needed long-term help.

“I think when the hurricane first hit, the immediate concern here was bringing the tourists back. And once the tourists came back, it kind of disappeared from public view. And there was also a feeling that this was basically a short-term project.

“People need to understand the seriousness of the situation. And that it will take a lot of time and a lot of resources to get there. [rebuild] Black River and [other affected] districts,” she said.

Windrush campaigner Euen Herbert-Small said the UK should offer humanitarian protection similar to that given to war-affected Ukrainians, which allowed Ukrainian nationals and their immediate family members to come to the UK under the Homes for Ukraine sponsorship scheme.

“Jamaica is a Commonwealth country. The king is the head of state. Ukraine does not have the same historical and present ties. So there is a greater responsibility to support Jamaica, which has strong historical ties to this country and has made this country rich over the years. We did it for Ukraine. We can certainly do it for Jamaica,” said Herbert-Small, who started a petition calling for humanitarian visas for Jamaicans affected by Melissa.

Rosalea Hamilton, executive director of the nonprofit Lasco Chin Foundation, which is helping hurricane-affected communities in Jamaica, echoed Herbert-Small’s sentiments, describing the enormous need for support on the ground.

“The king is our head of state and ordinary Jamaicans have an expectation that… that means that in times of crisis there is at least some sort of special consideration or something that would flow from the fact that he is still head of state,” she said.

She added that the UK’s relatively small contribution “further erodes the idea that we need and should always retain” King Charles as head of state.

According to recent reports, almost one million of Jamaica’s approximately 2.8 million residents were affected by the hurricane and approximately 150,000 homes were damaged or destroyed. Prime Minister Andrew Holness estimated losses at around $8 billion.

Pearnel Charles, Jamaica’s Minister of Labor and Social Security, said the government was working to provide assistance to the hundreds of thousands of people in need. It also assessed the damage caused to homes as well as long-term needs, particularly in terms of psychological support.

“Our caseworkers are constantly on the ground and we continue to open our hotlines to ensure that if we get this information, we will respond to it as quickly as possible,” he said.

The country is also grappling with a deadly leptospirosis outbreak, with 91 suspected cases and 11 confirmed deaths. Jamaica’s Minister of Health, Dr. Christopher Tufton, said: “We have had to declare an outbreak due to the increase in cases compared to usual periods. » He added that hospitals were equipped to detect and treat the disease.

In Britain, the Green party has also called for more support for Jamaica, linking climate justice to the legacy of slavery. The party’s foreign affairs spokesman said the UK had a “huge historical responsibility for the legacy of slavery”.

Ellie Chowns said: “As a country, we must go further and faster to meet our obligations under our international climate targets, but also recognize our wider moral responsibility for the effects of hundreds of years of fossil fuel burning and resulting warming.

“This, coupled with the legacy of slavery, simply cannot be ignored in the context of Hurricane Melissa and similar disasters affecting the Caribbean.”

The Global Afro-Descendant Climate Justice Collaborative has argued that the devastation Melissa caused in Cuba, Haiti, and Jamaica is a stark example of how people of African descent are disproportionately affected by centuries of environmental degradation.

He said: “Global warming began with the industrial revolutions made possible by the resources provided by imperialism, colonialism and slavery. »