Narayan AmmachchiThe Jamaican government launched a web portal to collect donations for those affected by Hurricane Beryl’s path of devastation.
The website will accept donations and provide a centralized resource for information and statistics on the hurricane’s impact. The National Commercial Bank (NCB) Foundation, an agency of the Jamaican government, will manage the website.
Having a government-run site will bring some relief to good samaritans worried about online scammers.
“The website assures every donor that their money is going directly to the right place and will be used effectively,” stated Jamaica’s Prime Minister Andrew Holness.
Hurrican Beryl landed in Jamaica on July 3, causing devastation in the country and other Caribbean islands. The storm killed seven people in the southeastern Caribbean after first impact.
To deal with the destruction, Jamaica launched a large-scale reconstruction program (named “Building a Better Jamaica Fund”). With it, local authorities seek to raise US$300 million to support communities affected by the storm.
Officials estimate that Beryl caused over US$6.4 million in damages to food crops and related infrastructure, raising concerns of potential food shortages due to the destruction of vast swathes of sugarcane fields and fruit plantations.
According to the Associated Press, the record-breaking storm also significantly impacted the livestock and fishing industries in its westward path towards the Cayman Islands, Mexico and Texas.
Add comment