Holness says hurricane relief funds reserved for modular housing support

Prime Minister Andrew Holness says his administration has acted deliberately, not slowly, in managing $1.4 billion donated to assist people affected by Hurricane Melissa, despite public criticism after an audit found the money had not yet been spent.

Speaking at a National Labour Day project at Lewis Town Early Childhood Institution in St. Elizabeth, Holness said the funds are being directed toward support for people who lost their homes in the hurricane. He said Jamaica is expected to receive modular housing units from several sources, including China, the Ministry of Housing and the Red Cross.

According to the prime minister, the country could receive as many as 3,000 modular units. He said a small community is being developed in Westmoreland for people who had been staying at the Petersfield shelter. He also said 2,500 prefabricated container homes are to be purchased, with 900 already in Jamaica and many intended beneficiaries already identified.

Holness argued that the donated money would be best used to prepare the foundations needed for the units, saying many recipients would not be able to build those bases on their own. He said that approach would give families a benefit that could last 10 to 15 years, rather than simply distributing the money without a clear long-term outcome.

The auditor general’s report said no spending plan, whether draft or final, was provided to auditors for how the relief money would be used. The report said that was the position when the audit team reviewed the matter in February 2026.

Holness said the audit was completed before the policy decision was accounted for, and insisted the government had not been inefficient. He said the administration was being strategic and efficient in its handling of the donations.

The prime minister did not give a date for when the homes will be ready, saying the process will take time. The 2026 Atlantic hurricane season is scheduled to begin on June 1.