St Elizabeth hurricane victim gets new home

When Hurricane Melissa tore through Black River, St Elizabeth, Amelia Neil's small, one-bedroom home, which she shared with six family members, was left uninhabitable.

"The storm come, take off the top, the front, the verandah, and the back door. The storm mash up everything. Had me outside," recalled Neil. All four neighbouring houses were also destroyed. With nowhere else to go, she and her family sought refuge at her cousin Marcia's house. For months, rebuilding felt out of reach. That changed when NCB Foundation's Grant a Wish entered the chat.

Following a joint damage assessment conducted with Food For The Poor Jamaica, Neil's home was identified as one of the structures most severely affected along the hurricane's destructive path. Through funding provided under NCB Foundation's Grant a Wish initiative, a full rebuild was approved. Neil's home is one of two houses reconstructed through the initiative for families hardest hit by the storm.

"I am overwhelmed," Neil said, smiling as she stood at the doorway of her new home. "I just can't wait to lay my head in here tonight."

Unlike the structure it replaces, the new home has been reinforced to better withstand future storms. It includes hurricane straps and upgraded fastenings, with screws replacing traditional nails to strengthen resistance to hurricane-force winds.

Perrin Gayle, CEO of NCB Foundation, said the intervention reflects the power of partnership and the entity's contribution to national recovery.

"Through NCB Foundation's Grant a Wish, we partnered with Food For The Poor Jamaica to fund the rebuilding of two homes for families severely impacted by Hurricane Melissa," Gayle said. "A safe home provides the foundation families need to regain stability and move forward. This is one way we are contributing to Jamaica's ongoing recovery."

Food For The Poor Jamaica also underscored the importance of local collaboration in post-disaster rebuilding.

"Many of our donors are internationally based. Having a Jamaican partner like NCB Foundation provide this level of support makes a meaningful difference for families rebuilding their lives," said Kivett Silvera, acting executive director of the entity.

For Neil, the new house represents a fresh start.

"Trust God," she said. "Believe and pray to Him and He will take full control."

The rebuilding of two homes under NCB Foundation's Grant a Wish forms part of the foundation's wider national recovery response through the $500 million Building a Better Jamaica 2.0 fund. While that programme supports community infrastructure and long-term rebuilding across affected areas, NCB Foundation's Grant a Wish enables direct support to individual families facing extraordinary hardship.