Jamaica enters reconstruction phase following Hurricane Melissa

The Jamaican government has closed the recovery phase of the national response to Hurricane Melissa and will now shift its primary focus to reconstruction, Prime Minister Andrew Holness announced.

Speaking recently, Holness said the recovery effort following the October devastation in western Jamaica had exceeded expectations, placing the country in a strong position to transition into rebuilding.

“I am pleased to report that this recovery has outpaced expectations, indeed, outpaced the recovery of some of our peers who were hit,” he said.

According to the Prime Minister, electricity has been restored to 98 per cent of affected areas, while water supply stands at 97 per cent restoration. Agricultural output has rebounded faster than anticipated, and inflation has tracked below projections. That, he noted, enabled the Bank of Jamaica to reduce its policy rate to 5.5 per cent in February 2026.

Holness clarified that while the relief phase of the disaster response officially ended in January, relief and recovery activities had overlapped. However, greater emphasis had been placed on those phases until now.

“All it means is that the Government will now shift to another phase of the response, and that is the reconstruction phase,” he said.

Housing, he explained, straddles both recovery and reconstruction, with roof restoration and the distribution of government-issued hurricane housing grants set to continue. He warned that penalties would be imposed on individuals who misuse those grants.

The Prime Minister also signaled that reconstruction will involve more strategic planning, particularly for critical infrastructure.

Addressing the Jamaican Diaspora Town Hall in Saint Kitts and Nevis, Holness said several major hospitals are located in vulnerable coastal areas and must be reconsidered as part of rebuilding efforts.

He pointed to the Black River Hospital, which was left roofless when Hurricane Melissa tore through the island, and noted that facilities such as Noel Holmes Hospital and Falmouth Hospital are similarly situated near the sea in low-lying zones.

“We really wouldn’t want your hospital to be in a place where it is going to be so exposed,” Holness said, arguing that if a facility has been destroyed, rebuilding it in the same vulnerable location would be unwise.

He stressed that all critical service buildings — including hospitals, police stations, fire stations and local government offices — will be reconstructed to meet modern standards capable of withstanding increasingly intense weather events.

While continuity of government was maintained during the hurricane, Holness acknowledged that there were disruptions in some communities. In Black River, the police station was destroyed and the hospital severely damaged, limiting the level of service that could be provided during the crisis.

“When we build again in the reconstruction phase, we’re going to make sure that if we have another disaster, your health care, security, your fire, your local government — those critical buildings will be maintained so that you will have continuity of service and continuity of government,” he said.

With recovery metrics nearing full restoration, the Government’s next challenge will be ensuring that reconstruction not only replaces what was lost, but strengthens Jamaica’s resilience ahead of future storms.