Over the period August 28-29, 2008, Tropical Storm Gustav impacted Jamaica. Many communities in Kingston, St. Andrew and Portland were affected by flooding, wind damage and landslides with a few cases of storm surge. Considerable damage was sustained to the main road network, including the collapse of two major bridges. For example, extreme flows in the Hope River caused the Hope River Bridge on the A4 Highway (the main transportation link between the capital city, Kingston and the Parish of Saint Thomas) in Harbour View to collapse.

On September 9, 2008 CDB received a formal request from GOJ for an Immediate Response Loan (IRL) for cleaning and clearing of debris and restoration of essential services affected by Tropical Storm Gustav. On October 7, 2008, CDB approved 500,000 United States dollars (USD500,000) to assist GOJ in financing the cleaning and clearing of debris and restoration of essential services; and USD20,000 to assist in financing consultancy services to provide independent inspection and certification of works in connection with the project. The project was also financed by USD520,000 in counterpart funding from GOJ.