PNP voice urges housing safeguards in NaRRA hurricane recovery law

An opposition voice says there is no objection to the NaRRA legislation itself, but argues the Bill should contain stronger safeguards for people left without proper housing after hurricane damage.

Speaking about concerns in a constituency where some residents remain homeless and dependent on help from others, the speaker said the proposed law does not appear to set out how destroyed or unsafe homes will be replaced. The concern, they said, is that the measure does not clearly identify a plan for low-income housing, where such homes would be built, or how the structures would be made strong enough to reduce danger during future storms.

The speaker warned that some affected residents have had little choice but to put together temporary shelter simply to get a roof over their heads. Those improvised structures, they argued, would leave families exposed even in a weaker hurricane, and would not provide adequate protection if Jamaica faced a serious system.

Asked about the outlook for the coming hurricane season, the speaker described their state of mind as prayerful, saying they hoped Jamaica would be spared. They said the constituency would struggle to cope if another hurricane came, and that residents were hoping for the best while praying that, by God’s grace, any storm threat would pass without major impact.

The interviewer also noted that Jamaicans broadly want the island to avoid hurricane damage, even in a season described as below average, because a single storm can still cause serious hardship.