From The Conversation: 4 urgent lessons for Jamaica from Puerto Rico’s troubled hurricane recovery – and how the Jamaican diaspora could help after Melissa.

https://theconversation.com/4-urgent-lessons-for-jamaica-from-puerto-ricos-troubled-hurricane-recovery-and-how-the-jamaican-diaspora-could-help-after-melissa-268631

“Across Jamaica, streets are littered with torn-off roofs, splintered wood and other debris left in the wake of Hurricane Melissa. Downed power lines have left communities in the dark, and many flooded and wind-damaged homes are unlivable.

Recovering from the devastation of one of the Atlantic’s most powerful storms, which struck on Oct. 28, 2025, will take months and likely years in some areas. That work is made much harder by the isolation of being an island.

As a researcher who has extensively studied disaster recovery in Puerto Rico after Hurricane María in 2017, I know that the decisions Jamaica makes in the days and weeks following the disaster will shape its recovery for years to come. Puerto Rico’s mistakes following Maria hold some important lessons.”

From the BBC: Hurricane Melissa death toll rises as aid struggles to reach parts of Jamaica

“At least 19 people have died in Jamaica as a result of Hurricane Melissa, Information Minister Dana Morris Dixon has said, as search and rescue efforts continue and authorities try to get aid to hard-hit areas.

The hurricane, one of the most powerful to strike the Caribbean, has also killed at least 30 people in Haiti, officials said.

In Jamaica, “there are entire communities that seem to be marooned and areas that seem to be flattened”, Dixon said, adding there are “devastating” scenes in western regions.

Electricity remains out to most of the island and as people try to salvage damaged homes and belongings from flood water and mud, many thousands are growing increasingly desperate for aid. “

From the Wash Post: Hurricane Melissa, now stronger than Katrina, is closing in on Jamaica.

Melissa’s 175 mph winds rival the most intense Atlantic storms on record. The Category 5 hurricane is threatening Jamaica with a storm surge of up to 13 feet.

New from the Pew Foundation: What Waning Federal Disaster Aid Would Mean for State Budgets. Shifts in response and recovery responsibilities could pose fiscal challenges

“States play a critical and often overlooked role in paying for disaster costs, assisting communities and individuals and helping to cover cost shares required by federal relief programs. To cover these myriad costs, states draw from a range of funding sources, including dedicated disaster or emergency accounts, rainy day savings, and general fund revenue.

However, tapping these resources for an emergency can also mean directing funds away from other priorities, and policymakers increasingly face overlapping challenges related to paying for disasters. Not only are extreme weather events growing more frequent and expensive, but federal policymakers also are exploring ways to reduce the federal role in disasters and state budgets are tightening as pandemic-era surpluses disappear. Together, these shifts are prompting states to reconsider how they fund their efforts before, during, and after a disaster, collectively called “disaster assistance.”

From the AP: State emergency officials say new rules and delays for FEMA grants put disaster response at risk.

“State officials on the front lines of preparing for natural disasters and responding to emergencies say severe cuts to federal security grants, restrictions on money intended for readiness and funding delays tied to litigation are posing a growing risk to their ability to respond to crises.

It’s all causing confusion, frustration and concern. The federal government shutdown isn’t helping.

“Every day we remain in this grant purgatory reduces the time available to responsibly and effectively spend these critical funds,” said Kiele Amundson, communications director at the Hawaii Emergency Management Agency.”

The uncertainty has led some emergency management agencies to hold off on filling vacant positions and make rushed decisions on important training and purchases.

Experts say the developments complicate state-led emergency efforts, undermining the Republican administration’s stated goals of shifting more responsibility to states and local governments for disaster response.”

From the WashPost: N.C. counties that busted budgets after Helene still waiting for FEMA to pay them back.

A year after Hurricane Helene, North Carolina communities that exhausted their budgets on storm cleanup and recovery are still waiting for FEMA reimbursement.

From the NY Times: How FEMA Is Forcing Disaster-Struck Towns to Fend for Themselves. President Trump has said he wants to eventually shift the burden of disaster relief and recovery onto states. It’s already happening.

“This could be the future for more communities across the country, based on Mr. Trump’s vision for emergency management in the United States: one that would transfer responsibility for disaster recovery from the federal government to the states in all but the largest catastrophes. For many places, it is already the reality.

FEMA has been delaying disaster declarations and aid payments to communities, adding new hurdles to access some grant funds and cutting off the flow of money intended to boost resilience and prevent future disasters from causing so much damage.”

Typhoon leaves flooded Alaska villages facing a storm recovery far tougher than most Americans will ever experience

From HSToday: The Shifting Emergency Management Balance

“Throughout this year, the very idea of the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) as we have known it has come under debate. What was once a stable pillar in America’s disaster response architecture is now being reshaped. Proposals emerging from the Trump administration suggest shifting large portions of responsibility from the federal government to states, scaling back FEMA’s authority, and even “phasing it out” after hurricane season. The stakes are enormous for states, local governments, and the communities that depend on federal assistance when disaster strikes.”