Jamaicans Press Government Over Slow Hurricane Melissa Recovery One Year On

One year after Hurricane Melissa, more than a dozen displaced residents are still living in the teacher’s cottage at Petersfield High School in Westmoreland, waiting for promised container houses near the Shrewsbury Housing Scheme. Residents say they have received little information or government help and are surviving on rationed water and inadequate food. The delays have left families frustrated and unable to return to normal life.

Black River market vendors are urging the Government to rebuild the destroyed St Elizabeth facility at its current location as plans for the coastal town are developed after Hurricane Melissa. They say business remains slow, with no electricity or proper shelter, and that relocating the market would hurt the town’s recovery and daily trade.

PNP Trelawny Northern chairman Dennis Meadows says the relocation of Coopers Pen residents lacks transparency, with many still unclear about their status despite a November 30 move-out deadline. He said residents are protesting what they see as intimidation and inadequate plans, including temporary tents and little sign of work at the proposed relocation site.

PNP Trelawny Northern chairman Dennis Meadows says the relocation of Coopers Pen residents is being handled without transparency, with intimidation and political victimisation. He says families still lack clear information on their status, the promised relocation site in Hague appears unprepared, and residents view the proposed tents and grant as undignified.

Opposition Leader Mark Golding said recovery in western Jamaica remains too slow, arguing that many families still lack homes and support a year after Hurricane Melissa killed 45 people and destroyed thousands of houses. He faulted the Government’s ROOFS programme and called for faster, more transparent rebuilding, including help for farmers, fisherfolk and small businesses.

A year after Hurricane Melissa tore up the Spring Mount to Maroon Town road in St James, residents say the breakaway has left them with a dangerous footpath and longer detours. Businesses and Maldon High School have been affected, while Prime Minister Andrew Holness says a bridge is too costly at about $250 million and officials are considering another route.

A year after Hurricane Melissa, some Parottee, St Elizabeth residents are rebuilding near where their homes were destroyed, even as officials want them relocated to Luana because the coastal area is unsafe. Many say they depend on fishing, boat tours and family graves in the community, and have received little assistance.

A Hanover family battered by Hurricane Melissa last year is finally getting back on its feet, thanks to Hanover Charities, which built and furnished a new four-bedroom home for 79-year-old Elaine Smith and her three orphaned grandsons. The charity also covered temporary housing and school support, including scholarships for the boys and tuition help for the eldest, Howard, now at Sam Sharpe Teachers’ College.

Four major wards at Black River Hospital in St Elizabeth are reopening a year after Hurricane Melissa tore off the roofs of the 180-bed facility and displaced patients and staff. Chief executive Diana Brown-Miller said the rebuild has been difficult but will restore and expand services, including paediatrics, maternity and operating theatres, for the parish and wider south coast.

Prime Minister Andrew Holness has ordered the National Reconstruction and Resilience Authority to speed up two Hurricane Melissa recovery measures: 100 prefabricated homes in St Elizabeth and three large community water tanks in Westmoreland. The homes are meant to support voluntary relocation from Parottee, as Holness said recovery efforts a year after the Category 5 storm are moving too slowly.

About 50 container homes are being built in Shrewsbury, Westmoreland, with 20 already in place, as the Government speeds up housing aid for people displaced by Hurricane Melissa. Robert Montague said the units, from the NHT and China, can be combined for different family sizes, while officials work to move families out of shelters.

Construction has started on container homes for families displaced by Hurricane Melissa in Trelawny and Hanover, with the first units going up in Bunkers Hill and Castle Hyde. Minister Robert Montague said project delays from procurement, weather and rollout issues have been addressed, and the homes will include options for expansion, solar power, sewage and water support.