Jamaica spent J$84 billion on Hurricane Melissa response, Holness says
Key Points(5)
- The Jamaican government has spent approximately $84 billion on relief and recovery efforts since Hurricane Melissa struck the island on October 28, 2025, Prime Minister Andrew Holness has disclosed.
- Holness made the announcement during a special press briefing at Jamaica House on Tuesday, October 27, describing the response as the largest relief and recovery operation in the country’s history.
- “This is the largest relief and recovery effort in Jamaica’s history.
- It is larger than the CARE programme that we executed during COVID,” he said.
- The expenditure includes a US$150 million loan to the Jamaica Public Service Company Limited to support electricity restoration, as well as more than $11 billion spent on school repairs across the island.
The Jamaican government has spent approximately J$84 billion on relief and recovery efforts since Hurricane Melissa struck the island on October 28, 2025, Prime Minister Andrew Holness has disclosed.
Holness made the announcement during a special press briefing at Jamaica House on Tuesday, October 27, describing the response as the largest relief and recovery operation in the country’s history.
“This is the largest relief and recovery effort in Jamaica’s history. It is larger than the CARE programme that we executed during COVID,” he said.
The expenditure includes a US$150 million loan to the Jamaica Public Service Company Limited to support electricity restoration, as well as more than $11 billion spent on school repairs across the island.
Holness said 144 of the 308 Priority One schools identified for urgent repairs had been fully repaired with more resilient infrastructure.
Meanwhile, Jamaica had received approximately $1.7 billion in donations toward the hurricane response as of October 26, 2026.
“The donations amount to just under two per cent of the total expenditure of the Government’s – your resources,” Holness said.
Of the donations received, $750 million has been allocated to the Office of Disaster Preparedness and Emergency Management (ODPEM) to support roof repairs under the government’s Shelter Recovery Programme.
The funds were used to purchase materials, including zinc sheets, lumber, nails and tools, to facilitate the installation of 575 roofs by the Jamaica Defence Force and its partners.
Another $800 million was allocated to support the program’s semi-permanent housing component, with $700 million going to the Ministry of Economic Growth and Infrastructure Development and $100 million to the Ministry of Local Government and Community Development.
Holness thanked the donors who contributed to Jamaica’s recovery following the hurricane, emphasizing that the funds had been used carefully and directed toward meaningful interventions.
