Prime Minister, Dr. the Most Hon. Andrew Holness, has announced the completion of Jamaica’s first-ever rapid, high-resolution national housing damage assessment, conducted in response to the devastation caused by Hurricane Melissa.
Speaking in the House of Representatives on Tuesday (November 4), Dr. Holness said the assessment, coordinated by the National Spatial Data Management Branch (NSDMB) of the Ministry of Economic Growth and Infrastructure Development (MEGID), analysed more than 428,000 buildings using satellite imagery and drone verification.
“The data reveals that approximately 116,000 structures sustained severe or catastrophic damage, with the greatest impact concentrated in Westmoreland, St. Elizabeth, and Manchester,” he noted.
Dr. Holness said the data-driven approach is now guiding targeted relief and reconstruction efforts, resource allocation, and recovery planning.
“We are transitioning from emergency sheltering to stabilisation and repair. Our teams are in the field conducting verification in priority communities, working alongside the Jamaica Defence Force (JDF), Office of Disaster Preparedness and Emergency Management (ODPEM), and local authorities. As access is restored in western communities, we will accelerate roofing support and deploy building materials, tarpaulins, and rapid repair kits, to ensure safety and habitation for our citizens,” the Prime Minister explained.
He added that the housing data is being integrated into the Post-Disaster Needs Assessment (PDNA) to inform a resilient national housing recovery programme.
To advance this process, Minister without Portfolio in MEGID, Hon. Robert Montague, has been tasked to lead the development of suitable housing technologies and solutions.
“We have to utilise new building technologies, including pre-fabricated and containerised solutions to deploy rapidly, and so we are examining those options to see what is available. Minister Montague has already convened a working group to ensure that when we actually get out to give houses, which is very soon, we have solutions that match the problem, but solutions that are (also) easy to deploy and cost effective,” Dr. Holness stated.