Prime Minister Dr. the Most Hon. Andrew Holness says the widespread damage caused by Hurricane Melissa has opened the door for Jamaica to rebuild stronger, smarter and more resilient than before.
Speaking Friday (Jan. 16) at the Jamaica Defence Force (JDF) Forward Operating Base in Luana, St. Elizabeth, Holness said the crisis created by the hurricane must be treated as an opportunity for long-term national transformation. “Yes, it created a crisis, but every crisis presents an opportunity, and we must not waste the opportunity that this crisis has given us,” the Prime Minister said. “We will rebuild Jamaica much better than we ever thought it could be.”
The Prime Minister was addressing the handover of more than $200 million in tools and building materials donated by housing developers New Era Developments Limited and Kemtek Construction. The supplies will support the Government’s roof restoration programme in parishes impacted by the hurricane.
Holness noted that the corridor linking Westmoreland and St. Elizabeth, which suffered extensive damage during Hurricane Melissa, will require major realignment and reconfiguration. He said the road network is no longer adequate to support current traffic volumes and economic activity in the region.
Beyond roads, the Prime Minister said urban centers, hospitals, police stations and municipal buildings in affected parishes must be rebuilt with climate resilience in mind. He added that hospitals, in particular, need to be located in areas less vulnerable to extreme weather events. “It will not only be a rebuilding of infrastructure,” Holness said. “What we are planning is to build a new economy for these damaged parishes.”
He emphasized that agriculture, a major economic driver in the region, will be redesigned to withstand climate and weather shocks. According to Holness, the Government plans to introduce more technology and structured, industrial-scale farming to make the sector more sustainable and resilient.
“The future of this area and these parishes that have been damaged will be quite different, but much better than what was anticipated or hoped for before Hurricane Melissa,” the Prime Minister said.
Holness also thanked New Era Developments and Kemtek Construction for their contribution, describing it as a strong example of effective public-private partnership in disaster recovery. He further expressed gratitude to engineering troops from Ghana, Rwanda and Guyana who are working alongside the JDF in ongoing rebuilding efforts.
