A man surveys the wreckage on his property after the passing of Hurricane Irma in St John’s, Antigua and Barbuda, yesterday.
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Even as it watches closely, Jamaica is assessing the level of assistance it can offer to islands across the Caribbean region that have been devastated by Hurricane Irma, now a powerful Category Five storm.

Yesterday, Prime Minister Andrew Holness made contact with heads of government across the Caribbean whose countries have been affected.

“This is a period of assessment and planning to ascertain what Jamaica can do to assist our Caribbean brothers and sisters who have been significantly impacted by the most powerful hurricane to have entered the Atlantic Ocean,” Holness said in a statement.

 

Gov’t assistance for J’cans

 

Jamaicans currently in these affected countries have also been assured of assistance from their homeland.

Holness was advised by executive director of the Caribbean Disaster Emergency Management Agency (CDEMA), Ronald Jackson, that he has briefed CARICOM Secretary General, Ambassador Irwin Larocque and Chair, Dr Keith Mitchell, indicating that first responders are on standby, subject to requests from national offices in affected islands.