NaRRA Opens Hurricane Melissa Recovery Talks in Black River and Parity

Recovery work is continuing in areas hit by Hurricane Melissa, with the National Reconstruction Recovery Agency opening community consultations in Southwest St. Elizabeth.

NaRRA CEO Ambassador Anthony Anderson and Member of Parliament for Southwest St. Elizabeth Floyd Green met residents of Black River and Parity to hear their concerns and hopes for rebuilding. Officials described the sessions as the first step in shaping the wider recovery process.

Residents set out priorities that differed sharply. Some said they want to move elsewhere. Others said they prefer to stay put and protect the livelihoods they have already built.

Speaking after a tour of Black River and Parity, Anderson said it mattered to him to see the damage and hear directly from residents about reconstruction and resilience.

"We're here in Black River at the end of a tour of Black River and also Parity. It was important for me to come down here to see and also to hear from the people of Parity and the people of Black River as to what they think about what has happened and also just to listen to their ideas about reconstruction and resilience," Anderson said. "NaRRA promises to build back better, stronger, more resilient. And so it was a really good visit and important that we start. This is just the first meeting. I think there'll be many more here including formal town halls."

Green said the government is acting with urgency to secure the best outcomes for people in Southwest St. Elizabeth, and stressed that reconstruction is meant to follow a bottom-up path.

"The government has always committed that they would take a bottom up approach to the reconstruction journey. And that is exactly what we're doing," Green said. "And of course the citizens came out, they shared, they engaged, they told us what they saw as solutions. We would have heard from some people who are looking forward to relocating. Some people who have already reestablished and that is a part of the process. This is just the start of the process, not the end of the process. But one thing that we're sure that we would move with speed to ensure that the best decisions are made for the people of South St. Elizabeth."

Green thanked the NaRRA team and Major Gerald, and said further engagements are expected as the rebuild aims to leave communities stronger than before.