Golding presses for faster Melissa recovery at Black River town hall

BLACK RIVER, St. Elizabeth — Opposition Leader Mark Golding told a People’s National Party town hall at Black River High School on July 22, 2026 that nearly nine months after Hurricane Melissa struck on October 28, the government’s recovery effort remains inadequate for western Jamaica, especially Black River.

Golding said public and diaspora support after the storm had raised hopes of a serious rebuild, but housing grants under the roofs programme were too small — up to $500,000 for total loss and far less for severe damage — while residents often travelled long distances for materials that were unavailable. Container homes promised for January still had not reached those in need, he said. He linked weak small-business support to successive quarters of negative growth in late 2025 and early 2026 and to tax collections in April and May running about $22 billion below budget projections, and called for a “Marshall Plan” for the west.

He criticised the National Adaptation and Recovery Agency (NARA), announced in December with reported US$6.7 billion in partner commitments, arguing the law lacks transparency and board oversight and that projects such as replacing Kingston Public Hospital or upgrading Montego Bay’s Jimmy Cliff Boulevard divert focus from Melissa housing and business restart. Research ahead of the meeting, he said, found about two-thirds of land in the Black River–Parottee area is in small holdings, so any relocation must be people-centred.

Residents from Stillington, Vineyard, Brampton and Parottee described homes still under tarpaulin, long walks for water, damaged roads, lost livestock and farms, and fear of relocation without consultation — including threats to fishing and Pelican Bar community tourism. Councillor Donovan Pagan said the municipal authority and small traders had been shut out of rebuild talks.

Senator Floyd Morris said about 113,000 households were assessed under a $10 billion roofs allocation, yet near $9 billion paid to roughly 40,000 left about $1 billion for more than 70,000 others still waiting, with container units delayed into May and still undistributed. Water spokesperson Ian Hayles urged dedicated trucking funds for St. Elizabeth and Westmoreland. Dr Dayton Campbell said animal-identification tags were not reaching farmers despite steep penalties, and that of $1.44 billion donated for storm relief, less than 2 per cent had been spent by February. Senator Kesha Anderson pressed for data on assessed households still without help so the Opposition can pursue cases.

Golding accepted calls for stronger ground advocacy, said the roofs money sat in last year’s budget with no fresh provision this year, and pledged to visit Parottee, likely in August, to hear relocation concerns directly.