With the 2026 Atlantic Hurricane Season fast approaching, and the wounds inflicted by Category 5 storm Melissa six months ago still raw, Prime Minister Dr Andrew Holness on Friday urged the developer of a new housing scheme in St Thomas to ensure that the structures to be built can withstand major weather events.

Holness issued the charge at the ground-breaking ceremony for the $9-billion Rozelle Estate project which will see more than 800 houses built under a collaboration between Rozelle Properties and the National Housing Trust (NHT).

“The caveat is that, whatever we build here must be built with resilience in mind. I say to Rozelle Properties, wind that is coming off [the sea] and cooling the area can become very violent in a hurricane, so you must design for that, and that is the area of focus of the Government — resilience. I implore you, that as you build this lovely housing scheme it must be able to withstand a Category 5 [hurricane],” Holness said.