Australian officer brings emergency expertise to hurricane-hit Jamaica

Major Peter White (left) speaks with a Jamaican officer and volunteers in his role with The Salvation Army Emergency Services (IES) in the Caribbean.

Australian officer Major Peter White has been on deployment in Jamaica with The Salvation Army International Emergency Services (IES) for the past few weeks to assist with the response to Hurricane Melissa that devastated the Caribbean island on 28 October.

Peter, who is the Area Officer for the Hunter and Central Coast region in the NSW/ACT Division, has been serving with the IES in Jamaica since 22 November and returns on Monday (22 December).

He spoke with Salvos Online international editor Simone Worthing about his role Jamaica, his extensive experience with IES, and what motivates him to work in disaster zones around the world.

Peter (left) works with Salvation Army, local and government teams in getting aid to those who need it.

Q&A with Major Peter White

Simone: What is your role in Jamaica with IES?

Peter: My role whilst in Jamaica is as The Salvation Army’s International Emergency Services (IES) team leader. I am the second team leader as I took over from the person from the USA who arrived shortly after the hurricane struck. I have come to support the Caribbean Territory with its response to Hurricane Melissa, a category five hurricane, which has devastated significant parts of Western Jamaica.

If there is such a thing, what does a typical day look like for you and the team there?

Like most days you can plan to a point. However, unexpected things always come up. Unscheduled deliveries, urgent requests for support, meetings with Salvation Army leadership or partners as well as local government and non-government relief agencies. This eventually settles over time and the ability to plan becomes easier.

You are an experienced IES worker, can you please give a brief outline of some of the other places you have served in this capacity?

One was Northwest Kenya (Turkana Province). This involved providing support during the severe drought, supplying water to remote and semi-nomadic communities, and supporting boarding schools with food supplies to offset the school fees for students impacted directly by the drought.

Also Northern Uganda. We were supporting refugees fleeing south into Uganda because of civil unrest in South Sudan. We provided non-food items to the United Nations (UN) for people who arrived in the refugee camps with nothing. This was particularly for the frail, vulnerable, and women with young children. We also built safe pit latrines within the newer refugee camps – 150 in total. Additionally, we drilled eighteen boreholes across northern Uganda, giving both refugees and host communities access to clean water.

Peter led teams in Uganda drilling boreholes and providing essentials to the vulnerable, particularly children.

During my appointment in South Africa, I was involved with the work the territory was doing to support internally displaced people following a significant increase in xenophobic attacks on foreign nationals from the countries surrounding South Africa.

Whilst appointed to Mozambique, I was also involved in supporting the territory when it was affected by regular flooding. This included the provision of food, clothing and blankets.

How are you finding the situation in Jamaica? In comparison to some of these places, what are some of the similarities, and differences, are experiencing?

What has been difficult for Jamaica has been that it was still recovering from Hurricane Beryl some 18 months prior to this hurricane (28 June 2024). Buildings, roads, electricity supply, and telecommunications have now been affected twice. Hurricane Melissa was more powerful than Hurricane Beryl.

We hear so much about the gentleness and kindness of the Jamaican people. How are they coping after such a terrible disaster?

They are a relaxed culture. They are very willing to help one another and very encouraging to those who have come to Jamaica to assist. They are coping okay, but it may be too soon to tell. Many will tell you that they were grateful the hurricane came during the day and not during the night, as people were better prepared.

How do people respond to The Salvation Army there?

The Salvation Army is well known and well loved by the Jamaican people. Historically, they have always been amongst the first to mobilise resources when disaster strikes. Every day I see donations being dropped off at THQ to support the people following the hurricane. The difficulty is that those who responded first locally, were also from some of the communities significantly impacted.

Local communities respond positively to The Salvation Army in Western Jamaica.

How does working in a disaster zone and seeing so much suffering impact you personally? What do you learn and how does it change you?

Prior to officership, I was an emergency nurse, so seeing the worst of life was somewhat ‘normal’. However, you need to be aware of the impact of working in disaster situations. Creating a support network amongst the team is important. We meet with each other regularly, and make sure that we are looking after ourselves physically, spiritually and emotionally. A few days before departing, I like to set aside some time to stop, take stock of what we have done, and unpack any concerns. I always encourage the team to seek support from their home territories after a deployment.

What motivates you to work in disasters around the world?

I am motivated by God’s call on my life to do this type of work. It has been part of my work life for many years prior to officership. To now have it as an integral part of my ministry is a blessing.

Is there a 'standout' experience or place in your IES work that has particularly impacted you?

I am simply humbled to be able to this kind of work and be part of a team that enables locals to participate. We learn so much when we stop and take the time to listen to local wisdom. It makes our response, collectively, so much more focused, and effective.

What role does disaster response have in the mission of The Salvation Army?

I believe that we create the point of entry. As part of the humanitarian response, proselytising is discouraged. Our focus is the relief/recovery efforts. However, the local Salvation Army is with us, and they can be much more mission-focused through their follow-up visits and activities.

How can we in Australia be praying for you and the team?

In these situations, it is always important to pray for safety as we (the teams) travel around the country – particularly in Western Jamaica where damage is still being cleared from roads and remote communities.

Is there anything else at all you'd like to add or comment on?

I would encourage others to undertake the training to be part of the IES team.