This week, I had the opportunity to speak live on BBC News (UK TV) with Lucy Hockings, discussing the conditions here in Jamaica as Hurricane Melissa passed through the island.
🎥 Watch the full BBC News interview: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jDNsVkZq_eY&feature=youtu.be
🎥 Watch my follow-up interview with BBC Business: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pmQOdWNAqgY&feature=youtu.be
The BBC — watched and listened to by more than 470 million people worldwide every week, and reaching around 35 million viewers daily in the UK across TV, radio, and online — provided an important platform to share Jamaica’s story with a global audience. It was also a chance to shed light on the realities that many island nations face when disaster strikes.
Reporting from the Heart of the Storm
During the interview, I described the scene from my home in Tower Isle, St. Mary — the relentless rain, uprooted trees, branches flying, drains overflowing, and the sound of the wind battering rooftops through the night. At the time, there was still hope that the worst had passed. Sadly, since then, conditions have worsened in some areas, with entire communities cut off and widespread flooding reported across several parishes.
Even amid the chaos, one truth stands firm: Jamaicans keep their faith strong. 🌧️💨
We have seen families pulling together, strangers helping one another, and communities already clearing the debris before the rain has even stopped. It is this spirit — our resilience, faith, and unity — that gives me confidence we will rise again.
A Message Shared with the World
Speaking with Lucy Hockings and the BBC audience allowed me to share not just the destruction, but the determination that defines Jamaica.
I spoke about how communication failures and power outages left many isolated for days — unable to reach loved ones or make calls. I also discussed how the cost of rebuilding is amplified by prohibitively expensive property insurance, often 10 to 15 times higher than in the UK, leaving the majority of homeowners exposed to catastrophic loss.
The storm has underscored what many of us already know: Jamaica’s infrastructure is fragile, and rebuilding must go beyond patching walls — it must mean rethinking how and where we build.
From BBC News to BBC Business: The Economic Toll
In a follow-up interview with BBC Business and BBC Radio, I discussed the storm’s broader economic impact. Tourism has halted, agriculture has been devastated, and many businesses are facing unprecedented disruption. For small and medium-sized enterprises — many without insurance or backup power — this is more than a temporary setback; it’s an existential threat.
But there is also opportunity. I emphasized the need for strategic investment, resilient construction, and affordable insurance reform. Jamaica has the talent and capacity to recover — what we need now is coordination, transparency, and courage from leadership to plan beyond the next storm.
Holding On to Hope
When I look around, I see an island bruised but not broken. I see builders sharing generators, families cooking for their neighbours, and young people documenting the recovery with their phones — telling the world that we are still here.
As I said in the interview:
“The storm may test us, but it will not break us. We are a small island, but we are a strong one.”
To everyone across Jamaica — and to those abroad thinking of us — thank you for your messages, your prayers, and your offers of help. Recovery will take time, but with faith, collaboration, and vision, we will rebuild better than before.
🎥 Watch the full interviews:
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BBC News with Lucy Hockings: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jDNsVkZq_eY&feature=youtu.be
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BBC Business Interview: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pmQOdWNAqgY&feature=youtu.be