JAMAICA | MP Andrea Purkiss Decries Exclusion From Hurricane Relief Efforts As Hanover Communities Remain Marooned and Neglected

Eastern Hanover MP Demands Answers as Government Agencies Ignore Distressed Communities Despite Parliamentary Alert

HANOVER, JAMAICA, November 15, 2025 – Member of Parliament for Eastern Hanover, Andrea Purkiss, has issued a strong condemnation of the government's handling of hurricane relief operations in Hanover, citing the systematic exclusion of elected representatives from the distribution chain and the abandonment of hundreds of residents in marooned communities.

Despite official claims by the Office of Disaster Preparedness and Emergency Management (ODPEM) that there are no marooned communities in Jamaica, MP Purkiss has confirmed that the communities of Chigwell and Forrest in Eastern Hanover remain completely cut off from outside assistance, with hundreds of residents unable to access any form of relief. The water is now receding from the communities of Old Pen and Success. 

"The people of Eastern Hanover are being failed by their government at the moment when they need support most desperately," said MP Purkiss. "I stood in Parliament one week ago and announced that there were marooned communities in East Hanover requiring urgent attention. To date, not a single government agency has paid the people of these districts any attention. This is unconscionable."

A Mathematical Outrage: 250 Packages for 30,000 People

MP Purkiss has raised an alarm that should shake every Jamaican who believes in equity and fairness. Her constituency—home to approximately 30,000 people in a parish of 64,000, all affected by Melissa in some capacity—received 250 care packages, five coverings, and fifty cases of water from the government via the Jamaica Defence Force.

Do the mathematics. Two hundred and fifty care packages for 30,000 souls.

"This is not relief—this is a mockery," MP Purkiss declared. "These numbers represent either catastrophic incompetence or something far more sinister. When you distribute 250 care packages to 30,000 people, you are not providing disaster relief. You are making a political statement."

The accusation hanging in the humid air is one that strikes at the heart of democratic governance: that constituencies represented by the Jamaica Labour Party are receiving preferential treatment while those under the People's National Party banner are being left to fend for themselves.

"I am compelled to ask the question that my constituents are asking me: Are we being punished for how we voted?" MP Purkiss stated. "Is this government using hurricane relief as a tool of political retribution? Because these numbers tell a story, and it is not a story of a government committed to serving all Jamaicans equally."

Elected Representatives Barred from Relief Distribution

Adding to the crisis is the troubling revelation that MP Purkiss and her colleague, Heatha Miller-Bennett, MP for Western Hanover, have been deliberately excluded from the relief distribution process, despite their constitutional role as the elected representatives of these communities.

Most alarmingly, MP Purkiss disclosed that the Jamaica Defence Force (JDF) informed her that neither she as the elected Member of Parliament, nor the local councillor, would be permitted to accompany JDF personnel during relief distribution operations—despite the fact that the military personnel had no knowledge of the terrain or the specific locations requiring assistance.

"How can relief be properly distributed when those who know these communities intimately are barred from participating?" MP Purkiss questioned. "The JDF officers have no idea where they are going, yet I am prevented from guiding them to the people who need help. This makes no sense unless the objective is something other than actually helping my constituents."

Health Crisis Looms as Communities Remain Cut Off

MP Purkiss expressed grave concern about the public health implications of the government's neglect, warning that disease outbreaks—including mosquito-borne infections—could devastate these isolated communities if health services are not deployed urgently.

"These communities have been cut off by flood waters for over a week. Without proper health assessments and intervention, we are courting disaster. Stagnant water breeds disease, and our people are sitting ducks for dengue, chikungunya, and worse," the MP warned.

Demand for Prime Ministerial Accountability

MP Purkiss has called directly on Prime Minister Holness in his capacity as head of the Defence Board, to explain why such a policy preventing elected officials from accompanying relief operations has been implemented.

"I want to know why the Prime Minister, as head of the Defence Board, has banned elected representatives from participating in relief efforts meant for their own constituents," MP Purkiss stated. "If this policy can be applied to Members of Parliament, what does it say about democratic accountability and the role of elected officials in serving their people during times of crisis?"

The MP further lamented the complete absence of coordination and accountability in the current relief distribution system, warning that the lack of transparency creates conditions ripe for mismanagement and neglect.

Call to Action

MP Purkiss is demanding:

1. Immediate access to marooned communities in Chigwell, and Forrest
2. Full participation of elected representatives in relief distribution
3. Urgent deployment of health services to prevent disease outbreaks
4. Transparent coordination and accountability mechanisms for all relief operations
5. Public explanation from the Prime Minister regarding the policy excluding MPs from relief efforts
6. Equitable distribution of relief supplies across all affected constituencies regardless of political affiliation
7. Full disclosure of relief distribution data broken down by constituency

"If this treatment can be meted out to elected Members of Parliament trying to serve their constituents in a time of crisis, imagine what can be done to the average citizen," MP Purkiss concluded. "The people of Hanover deserve better. They deserve to be seen, to be heard, and most importantly, to be helped. That is what I was elected to ensure, and I will not be silent while my constituents suffer in neglect."

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