UK MPs push for extra aid and visas as Jamaica reels from Hurricane Melissa | Jamaica

British MPs have joined campaigners calling for more aid and humanitarian visas for Jamaicans to enter the UK after Hurricane Melissa devastated parts of the country, plunging hundreds of thousands of people into a humanitarian crisis.

Britain has promised £7.5 million in emergency funds to Jamaica and other islands affected by the hurricane, but many argue the country has a moral obligation to do more for its former Caribbean colonies.

Dawn Butler, Labor MP for Brent East and chair of the UK’s all-party parliamentary group on Jamaica. He published a letter he wrote to the Minister of Internal Affairs in X We are calling for temporary humanitarian visas and fee waivers for vulnerable relatives of UK citizens affected by the storm.

Butler said at an emergency meeting held in the constituency, which has the UK’s largest Jamaican population, calls were made to ease visa restrictions for children and elderly people affected by the hurricane who could stay with relatives in the UK.

“The UK has a long and enduring relationship with Jamaica and I am confident that with compassion and cooperation we can play a vital role in supporting those most in need during this difficult time,” the letter says.

Hackney North and Stoke Newington MP Diane Abbott backed Butler’s calls and said Jamaica needed long-term aid.

“I think when the hurricane first hit, the initial concern here was to bring the tourists back. When the tourists came back, it faded from the public eye. There was also a sense that this was actually a short-term project.”

“People need to understand the seriousness of the situation. It will take a long time and a lot of resources to achieve this.” [rebuild] Black River and [other affected] districts,” he said.

Windrush activist Euen Herbert-Small said the UK should offer humanitarian protection similar to that provided to war-affected Ukrainians; This means that Ukrainian citizens and their immediate family members may travel to the United Kingdom, Houses for Ukraine sponsorship plan.

Launching the campaign, Herbert-Small said: “Jamaica is a Commonwealth country. The King is the head of state. Ukraine does not have the same historical and current ties. So there is a greater responsibility to support Jamaica, which has strong historical ties to this country and has enriched this country over the years. We did this for Ukraine. We can certainly do this for Jamaica as well.” A petition calling for humanitarian visas For Jamaicans affected by Melissa.

Rosalea Hamilton, CEO of the nonprofit Lasco Chin foundationHerbert-Small, who helped hurricane-affected communities in Jamaica, echoed Herbert-Small’s sentiments when describing the staggering need for support on the ground.

“The King is our head of state and there is an expectation among ordinary Jamaicans that in times of crisis that must mean that there is at least some kind of special consideration or something that comes from the fact that he is still head of state,” he said.

He added that the relatively small contribution from the UK “further erodes the idea that we need and should stick with” King Charles as head of state.

According to recent reports, about 1 million Approximately 2.8 million people in Jamaica were affected by the hurricane, and approximately 150,000 homes were damaged or destroyed. Prime Minister Andrew Holness estimates losses at around US$8bn (£6bn).

Pearlel Charles, Jamaica’s Minister of Labor and Social Security, said the government is trying to deliver aid to hundreds of thousands of people in need. It was also assessing damage to homes as well as long-term needs, including psychological support.

“Our social workers are constantly on the ground and we continue to open our hotlines to make sure that if we receive this information, we will address it as quickly as possible,” he said.

The country is also battling a deadly leptospirosis outbreak, with 91 suspected cases and 11 confirmed deaths. Jamaican Minister of Health Dr. Christopher Tufton said: “Due to the increase in the number of cases compared to usual times, we had to declare an epidemic.” He added that hospitals are equipped to detect and treat the disease.

Britain’s Green Party has also called for greater support for Jamaica, linking climate justice to the legacy of enslavement. The party’s foreign affairs spokesman said Britain had “a huge historical responsibility for the legacy of slavery”.

Ellie Chowns said: “As a country, we need to go further and faster to meet our obligations under our international climate targets, but we must also recognize the wider moral responsibility for the impacts of hundreds of years of burning fossil fuels and the warming it causes.

“This, coupled with the legacy of slavery, cannot be ignored in the context of Hurricane Melissa and similar disasters affecting the Caribbean.”

The Global Afro-Descendant Climate Justice Collaborative argued that Melissa’s devastation in Cuba, Haiti, and Jamaica is a striking example of how people of African descent have been disproportionately affected by centuries of environmental degradation.

It said: “Global warming began with the Industrial Revolutions made possible by the resources provided by imperialism, colonialism and slavery.”