Opposition town hall in Black River presses government over slow Melissa recovery

BLACK RIVER, St. Elizabeth — Opposition Leader Mark Golding led a People's National Party town hall at Black River High School on Wednesday, July 22, 2026, to examine Hurricane Melissa recovery nearly nine months after the October 28 storm devastated western Jamaica, with Black River among the hardest-hit communities.

Golding said residents and small businesses across St. Elizabeth, Westmoreland, Hanover, St. James, Trelawny and parts of St. Ann and Manchester still lack adequate housing and livelihood support. He criticised the roofs programme as too small — including grants of about $500,000 for totally destroyed homes and $100,000 to $200,000 for severe damage — and said container homes promised for January were still not reaching those in need. He also cited two quarters of negative growth and tax collections about $22 billion below budget in April and May as signs of economic strain linked to the disaster.

Calling for a "Marshall Plan" for western Jamaica, Golding argued the government's National Alternative Recovery (NAR) vehicle, announced in December with reported US$6.7 billion in partner commitments, lacks transparency and board oversight. He said NAR talk of projects such as replacing Kingston Public Hospital and upgrading Montego Bay's Jimmy Cliff Boulevard does not meet urgent housing and business restart needs in storm-hit communities.

Residents from areas including Sillington, Vineyard, Brompton and Parottee described homes without roofs, long walks for water, damaged roads, livestock losses and difficulty accessing RADA and National Insurance Scheme help. Councillor Donovan Pagan said the local authority and small businesses had been left out of Black River "new city" consultations. Councillor Dwight Salmon said councillors received only $250,000 for care packages after the storm.

Senator Floyd Morris said about 113,000 households were assessed under a $10-billion roofs allocation, roughly 40,000 had received benefits near $9 billion, and more than 70,000 were still waiting with about $1 billion left — and no fresh budget provision this fiscal year. Water spokesperson Ian Hayles urged funding for trucked water and warned that proposed redevelopment must not shut out small landholders. Dr Dayton Campbell criticised animal-tag shortages under the National Animal Identification and Traceability System and said less than two per cent of a $1.44-billion recovery fund had been spent by February. Senator Kesha Anderson pressed for small-business restart support and a resident database so the opposition can advocate for unpaid claims.

Golding pledged to visit Parottee amid relocation fears affecting fishers and community tourism, and said any rebuild must be people-centred. He also backed a parliamentary review of Road Traffic Act enforcement. Organisers collected names and contacts from residents still seeking advocacy on roofs and other unmet needs.