New Oversight Committee Pledges Public Reporting on Hurricane Melissa Rebuild

Kingston, Jamaica, 15 September 2026

A new committee set up to watch over Jamaica’s rebuilding after Hurricane Melissa says it will put public communication at the centre of its work, promising regular reports and consultation so that citizens can follow how reconstruction money is spent and whether projects are delivered.

The Jamaica Reconstruction and Resilience Oversight Committee (JAMRROC), chaired by economist Professor Peter Blair Henry, was formally launched at Jamaica House on Tuesday, 8 September.

Watching the rebuilding authority

The committee’s main job is to oversee the National Reconstruction and Resilience Authority (NaRRA), the body created to co-ordinate post-hurricane rebuilding and longer-term resilience. JAMRROC will advise the Prime Minister and Cabinet on which projects should go through NaRRA’s fast-tracked process, then track and critically review how they are carried out.

NaRRA will have to hand over its plans, deadlines and numerical targets within set time frames, and these will be independently assessed by the Auditor General. Through periodic public reports, the committee intends to press the authority to run a project management system that keeps tendering clean and work on time and within budget.

Talking to communities

Professor Blair Henry said the committee would not work in isolation. Its plans include listening to public concerns, explaining the roles of both bodies, and setting reconstruction against Jamaica’s economic reform programme and international good practice. A website is to be built as part of a wider communication strategy.

He argued that rebuilding must balance social needs with fiscal discipline, warning that Jamaica cannot drift from its reform path, and said confidence in the process would depend on openness. As he put it, “it takes cash to care”.

NaRRA Chief Executive Officer Ambassador Antony Anderson said accountability would be built into the authority from the start. Beyond visible infrastructure and construction, he hoped the programme would leave behind greater national capacity and show investors that Jamaica can deliver quickly and efficiently.

Why it matters to homeowners

Many families are still waiting for roads, utilities, schools and housing support in hurricane-hit parishes. An oversight body that publishes targets and progress gives residents, property owners and prospective buyers a clearer way to judge when promised works may reach their communities, and a channel for raising concerns as the recovery moves forward.