Jamaica implements reconstruction efforts following Hurricane Melissa

Jamaica is undergoing extensive reconstruction following Hurricane Melissa, focusing on housing, education, and economic recovery. The government has signed contracts worth US$6.6 million to construct 268 semi-permanent housing units in Westmoreland and St Elizabeth to relocate families from shelters.

In the education sector, approximately US$26 billion is being allocated to repair or reconstruct 688 damaged schools. The reconstruction programme aims to increase school resilience and includes a Staffroom Renovation Programme and a US$400-million investment in technical and vocational education, featuring new laboratories for fields like robotics and renewable energy.

Economic data from the Bank of Jamaica shows that remittances from Jamaicans abroad rose 7.7 per cent to US$1.85 billion in the seven months following the storm. However, the growth was unevenly distributed; Kingston and St Andrew captured 60 per cent of the increase, while several parishes directly hit by the hurricane saw much slower growth or stagnation in inflows.