Lead Stories

One of the entrances to Munro College in Malvern, St Elizabeth.
December 9, 2025 by Albert Ferguson

Scarred by Beryl, strengthened by its lessons

WESTERN BUREAU: As Jamaica braces for Hurricane Melissa, Munro College – one of the nation’s oldest boarding institutions – says it is far better prepared this time, drawing on hard-earned lessons…
Flagaman Community Centre in St Elizabeth, which is expected to be used as a shelter for residents in preparation for Tropical Storm Melissa which is expected to hit Jamaica over the weekend.
December 9, 2025 by Albert Ferguson

‘We’re not ready’

WESTERN BUREAU: As dark clouds gather once again over Jamaica’s southern plains, a sense of dread hangs heavy over the farming community of Flagaman, in St Elizabeth, as many residents who barely…
Prime Minister Dr Andrew Holness addresses a special Jamaica House press briefing, looking at preparations for Tropical Storm Melissa, in St Andrew yesterday.
December 9, 2025

Holness declares ‘zero tolerance’ for price gouging

With Jamaicans continuing to shop for emergency items in preparation for Tropical Storm Melissa, which forecasters expect to develop into a hurricane and could sit over Jamaica for several days, Prime…
NOAA’s 7 p.m. update on October 25 for Tropical Storm Melissa.
December 9, 2025

Melissa watchers eye landfall Tuesday

Tropical Storm Melissa is now expected to make landfall in Jamaica next Tuesday as a major hurricane, with the system expected to bring heavy rains and flooding across the island. Speaking with The…
Micah Williams, tomato farmer from Flagaman in St Elizabeth, shows items used to shield him at his home during Hurricane Beryl in 2024.
December 9, 2025 by Adrian Frater

Toxic encounters

Western Bureau: Memories of last year’s devastating blow by Hurricane Beryl are still fresh, especially the major infrastructural damage, the multimillion-dollar hit on the farming section, and…
A section of a yard in Parottee, St Elizabeth, belonging to residents who have been still struggling to rebuild after last year’s onslaught from Hurricane Beryl.
December 9, 2025 by Albert Ferguson

Storm-weary St Bess faces Melissa still reeling from Beryl

WESTERN BUREAU: More than a year after Hurricane Beryl ravaged Jamaica’s southern corridor, the residents of St Elizabeth remain locked in a prolonged struggle for recovery. Now, with Tropical Storm…
Louis Porter (left), Western Parks and Markets Limited’s senior public cleansing inspector for St James and Trelawny, and Montego Bay Mayor Richard Vernon address a media briefing at the St James Municipal Corporation on Thursday, following a meeting of
December 9, 2025

WPM pulls garbage trucks from neighbouring parishes to address St James’ waste backlog

WESTERN BUREAU: The National Solid Waste Management Authority’s (NSWMA) Western Parks and Markets Limited (WPM) has pulled several garbage trucks from neighbouring parishes to help clear the backlog…
Montego Bay Mayor Richard Vernon at a meeting of the St James Municipal Corporation.
December 9, 2025 by Christopher Thomas

Find a shelter if you are vulnerable, says MoBay mayor

WESTERN BUREAU: Montego Bay Mayor Richard Vernon has issued a stern warning to residents of flood-prone communities in St James to relocate if Tropical Storm Melissa impacts the parish and weather…
File photo.
December 9, 2025

JAA urges strict avoidance of flooded roadways as storm nears

With flooding expected to be a major consequence of Tropical Storm Melissa, due to heavy rainfall that could begin as early as this weekend, Owen Smith, general manager of the Jamaica Automobile…