Holness says Parottee residents to be moved after Hurricane Melissa damage

Prime Minister Dr. Andrew Holness says residents of Parottee in St. Elizabeth are to be moved from the storm-hit coastal area after Hurricane Melissa left the community badly exposed to future danger.

Holness made the announcement today while speaking at the handover ceremony for the National Housing Trust’s Malvern Housing Development. He said the coastline and nearby lands in Parottee had suffered serious damage from storm surge and rising sea levels, leaving the community’s long-term future in doubt.

The Prime Minister said he had toured the damaged area and concluded that rebuilding the community in its current location would not be practical. He said the cost of reconstruction there would be greater than the value of the homes the work would be trying to protect.

Holness said the Government has already told residents that Parottee cannot simply be restored as it was. The relocation, he said, will be carried out in stages and with attention to the people’s economic survival and property value.

“We have already indicated to the people of Parity that that area has to be relocated. And we will do it in such a way that their livelihood will be preserved, the value of their assets will be preserved, but most importantly, their dignity will be preserved,” he said.

A major part of the response will involve 2,500 semi-permanent modular housing units bought by the National Housing Trust for more than US$29 million. Holness said the units will support people who have to be moved from badly damaged communities, as well as those who lost everything and cannot rebuild.

St. Elizabeth is expected to receive most of the units, with housing clusters already identified. Authorities say the relocation will be done through consultation and will not take place immediately.