Hurricane Melissa causes damage in Jamaica equivalent to 30% of GDP: UN official

UNITED NATIONS -- Jamaica has suffered damage caused by Hurricane Melissa approximately equivalent to 30 percent of its gross domestic product (GDP), an official of the UN Development Programme (UNDP) said Thursday.

"Initial estimates show that the damage caused is approximately equivalent of 30 percent of Jamaica's GDP, a figure that's expected to rise," Kishan Khoday, UNDP resident representative for the Bahamas, Belize, Bermuda, Cayman Islands, Jamaica, and the Turks and Caicos Islands, told reporters via video conference.

UNDP estimated that nearly 5 million metric tonnes of debris have been generated across western Jamaica following the devastating Category 5 storm last week, he said.

Farhan Haq, deputy spokesperson for the UN secretary-general, said that authorities have confirmed 32 deaths in Jamaica, where some 1.5 million people have been affected by the hurricane.

To support response and recovery efforts, UNDP has allocated an initial 400,000 U.S. dollars to assist with basic assessment work and provide early support to national partners, and the UN World Food Programme is airlifting food from Barbados to support more than 6,000 households for up to a week, Haq said.