Montego Bay, St James, 18 June 2026
A newly completed drainage study of Montego Bay has put numbers on the city’s flooding problem and pointed to possible fixes for areas such as Catherine Hall, according to works minister Robert Morgan.
Mr Morgan outlined the findings in the House of Representatives on 17 June during his contribution to the 2026/27 Sectoral Debate.
Water far beyond design limits
The study recorded more than 350 millimetres of rain falling in 24 hours, with peak bursts of 295 millimetres an hour. At its height, the Montego River carried roughly 2,132 to 2,653 cubic metres of water per second, a flow the minister said matches a one-in-500-year event.
That volume, he told Parliament, is about 1,600 per cent more than the Barnett Street Bridge was built to handle.
In response, the Government intends to increase how much water the system can carry, make channels easier to maintain and improve drainage across the flat land around Catherine Hall. A proposed Montego Bay River Flood Control Plan, still under assessment, would keep the existing levees in place while adding controlled discharge points and measures to stop water flowing back into the city.
Perimeter road also expected to help
Mr Morgan said the Montego Bay Perimeter Road Project is now 85 per cent finished. The contract, first valued at $274 million, rose to $354 million after the Long Hill Bypass was added to the scope.
Beyond cutting travel times, he said, the road should improve drainage and help protect residents of West Green and Catherine Hall from a repeat of the severe flooding they suffered during Hurricane Melissa.
What it means for homeowners and buyers
For people living in low-lying parts of Montego Bay, the study confirms what many already know from experience: the existing drainage was not built for the kind of rainfall the city now faces. The flood control plan has not yet been approved, so any benefit is some way off.
In the meantime, owners and tenants in Catherine Hall, West Green and nearby communities should keep flood preparations in place, review whether their insurance covers flood damage, and, if buying, ask specifically about a property’s history during Melissa. Progress on the perimeter road and the flood plan is worth watching, as both could affect how the area is valued in the years ahead.
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