Russell: MoBay faced no food challenge after Melissa
Chamber of Commerce president says private-sector resilience kept shelves stocked even as blackouts, fuel lines, and roofing backlogs strained recovery
by Albert Ferguson/Gleaner Writer · The GleanerWESTERN BUREAU:
Jason Russell, president of the Montego Bay Chamber of Commerce and Industry, says that despite the widespread anxiety in the days following the passage of Hurricane Melissa, Montego Bay in St James did not experience any major shortage of food and basic household supplies.
Nonetheless, Russell admitted to the acute pressures faced as it related to utilities, fuel access, and building materials in the immediate aftermath of the storm, highlighting the long lines at gas stations and supermarkets as residents rushed to secure supplies.
“I have not heard of any supply shortages apart from utilities, water, and electricity, which was our main pain point,” explained Russell, who acknowledged the widespread dislocation caused to households and businesses by the disruption in electricity and water supply. “In terms of going to the supermarket and getting goods, that was not the issue.”
Many families in and around Montego Bay lost roofs to the hurricane, and many are still covered by blue tarpaulins, which is creating a temporary cover ahead of repairs. Also, with electricity out in several communities, residents have resorted to gasolene generators, portable solar lamps, and lanterns.
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Stabilised rapidly
Russell told The Gleaner that while the days immediately after the hurricane were marked by uncertainty, supply chains stabilised rapidly as goods moved from eastern Jamaica into the western parishes.
“Outside of the days immediately after the storm, when everything was shell shocked, things started rolling down from the east fairly quickly,” he noted, saying staffing shortages were more of an issue. “I felt that it was more a shortage of staffing than anything else.”
With several hotels across the western region closed for refurbishing due to storm damage, Russell said there was now excess capacity within the food-supply system, which is expected to cushion demand heading into the Christmas season.
“With the hotels being closed, there is a lot of excess capacity in the system to accommodate Christmas. So I think it’s going to balance out, and we may actually end up with more supplies than demand,” he said, adding that checks with major suppliers confirmed the availability of key food items, particularly poultry.
“I spoke to Best Dressed, and they had more than enough chicken even while supporting World Central Kitchen and people going about their regular business,” said Russell. “That’s one of the main supplies I checked because that’s not something you can flip a switch and suddenly have without importing chicken.”
While vegetable supplies are expected to be uneven due to storm damage to farms, Russell expressed confidence that a combination of local production and imports would meet the expected demand.
“Vegetables are going to be a hit and miss, but farmers in the east will be able to supply, and we will be able to import most of what we need. I don’t think people really understand the quantities that are being imported in terms of fruits and vegetables,” he said.
However, as rebuilding efforts accelerate across the region, Russell warned that construction materials, particularly roofing, remained under pressure.
“Roofing, for sure, is going to be an issue in terms of rebuilding homes. I know there is a back order of a lot of the roofing materials,” he said, noting that the feared collapse of basic supplies did not materialise.
“To my knowledge, basic supplies were never really short.”