5,661kg Food Condemned After Melissa
Authorities ordered 5,661 kilogrammes of food destroyed after assessing 5,052 food-handling establishments in the wake of Hurricane Melissa, Health Minister Dr Christopher Tufton told Parliament. Tufton warned of extensive damage to health infrastructure and outlined a three-phase recovery plan while officials say there are no unusual disease outbreaks so far.
Health authorities ordered 5,661 kilogrammes of food destroyed after inspecting 5,052 food-handling establishments following Hurricane Melissa, Minister of Health and Wellness Dr Christopher Tufton reported in Parliament on Tuesday. In a ministerial statement, Tufton said teams visited large farms and food-processing operations to prevent unsafe food entering the supply chain and to reduce the risk of food-borne illness. "Safety interventions will be strengthened in the coming weeks as greater access is gained into the communities that were marooned and unreachable," he told lawmakers.
Tufton also delivered an update on damage to the health sector and the Government’s response. A rapid infrastructure assessment found extensive damage across several parishes managed by the Southern, Northern and Western Regional Health Authorities — including St Elizabeth, Clarendon, Manchester, St James, Hanover, Westmoreland, St Ann and Trelawny.
Seven hospitals on the southern and western belts suffered major roof and infrastructure damage: Black River (St Elizabeth), Noel Holmes (Hanover), Falmouth (Trelawny), Cornwall Regional (St James), Savanna-la-Mar (Westmoreland), St Ann’s Bay (St Ann) and Bellevue Hospital in Kingston.
Tufton said St Ann’s Bay has re-established operations except for its Dietary Department, while Cornwall Regional has lost about 200 beds and Falmouth has lost some 65 percent of its roof with severe laboratory and radiology damage. Savanna-la-Mar also sustained 65 percent roof damage and flooding.
Black River Hospital was decommissioned short term and a field hospital established on site; additional field units are operating in Falmouth with another planned for Savanna-la-Mar. The minister outlined a three-phase recovery plan: a three-month relief phase to reinstate basic health services, save lives and prevent disease; a second phase to restore services to pre-hurricane levels; and a third reconstruction phase to "build back better." Phase one includes rapid facility assessments, repairs to restore basic services, mass environmental health actions, psychosocial interventions and staff welfare measures.
Opposition health spokesman Dr Alfred Dawes praised health workers’ efforts but urged continued vigilance, warning that water-borne and vector-borne diseases often follow such storms. Tufton said surveillance teams have reported no unusual outbreaks so far and reiterated public guidance to practise proper hygiene, use safe water sources and promptly report symptoms to the nearest health facility.
For BVI residents: disruptions to regional supply chains and stricter food inspections could affect imported produce and packaged foods. Authorities recommend checking food packaging and expiry dates, using trusted suppliers, and following public guidance on water safety and sanitation as recovery continues.
Primary source: VINO