The Government wants to move vulnerable Parottee families into 100 prefabricated homes at Luana. Many residents, holding titles to coastal land, are not yet convinced.
KINGSTON, Jamaica, 30 October 2026. The Government has directed the National Reconstruction and Resilience Authority (NaRRA) to build 100 prefabricated homes at Luana in St Elizabeth for residents of Parottee, the coastal fishing community badly damaged by Hurricane Melissa, but early reporting from the community suggests that many families are reluctant to leave land they own by the sea.
The Prime Minister announced the homes at a special press briefing at Jamaica House on Tuesday, 27 October, the Jamaica Information Service (JIS) reported. He described the project as one of two urgent interventions he had directed NaRRA to advance.
What has been promised
According to the JIS, the homes will be built at Luana Phase 3 in partnership with the Housing Agency of Jamaica (HAJ), which owns the land. They are meant for eligible Parottee residents who are living in unsafe conditions and have said they are willing to move.
“These homes must meet Jamaican building standards and be supported by properly prepared sites, essential utilities, and community infrastructure before the families take occupancy,” the Prime Minister said. He added that relocation would be carried out with respect, dignity and patience. “We’re not going to force anybody to move. Rather, we’re going to provide the option,” he said, noting that discussions are under way.
The Jamaica Observer reported on Thursday that land at Luana Phase 3 has been identified and a subdivision is in place, but that roads and other infrastructure still need to be prepared before anyone can move in. No date for occupancy has been announced.
How the move would work
The plan builds on an announcement in September. At the groundbreaking for Luana Phase 4 on 23 September, the Prime Minister said residents “will not be forcibly dispossessed of their lands”, according to the JIS. NaRRA and the HAJ were tasked with finding serviced lots for Parottee families who choose to move.
Residents who take part will have to register using the National Identification System and their Taxpayer Registration Number, which the Government said would be used to allocate lots or units and to pay any financial assistance digitally. The Government also said relocation sites would have sewer systems, roads and utilities, and that the work would be funded through a blended model of HAJ resources and private sector financing, as with the partly bank funded Luana project.
The Luana Phase 4 project itself is a $3.7 billion HAJ development that is to deliver 337 housing solutions, made up of 140 two bedroom houses and 197 serviced lots, the JIS reported in September. The prefabricated homes announced this week are a separate component at Phase 3.
Why residents are hesitant
Reporting from Parottee by The Gleaner this week found strong attachment to the coast. The paper cited the 2022 Census as recording 1,613 residents in 588 households in the community. Residents told the paper they feared losing their livelihoods and the money they had already invested in their homes, and one fisherman showed his land title. A senior resident said no one had approached them directly about relocation.
The Gleaner also noted that sections of the community were left waterlogged after Hurricane Ivan in 2004, long before Melissa struck on 28 October 2025. The Observer reported that some residents are rebuilding only metres from the sea. The Prime Minister warned on Tuesday, according to the Observer, that those who decline the option should not come back to the Government afterwards.
The property question
For families in Parottee, the decision is likely to turn on land as much as on safety. A titled lot on the coast is often a family’s main asset, and a fishing household’s income depends on being close to the water. A new house inland may be safer, but it may also be further from boats, markets and the community that supports them.
Several details that would shape that choice have not yet been made public, based on the announcements so far. These include whether families who move would keep, sell or surrender their coastal land, what tenure they would hold at Luana, whether there would be any cost to them, and how far the new site is from the fishing beach. Clear answers on those points may do more to persuade residents than warnings.
The case also has wider significance. The Prime Minister has said relocating residents from vulnerable communities will be a key part of NaRRA’s mandate, and Parottee is likely to be an early test of that mandate. How the Authority handles ownership, compensation and livelihoods here is likely to shape how other low lying communities respond when similar offers are made.
The homes are promised and the land is identified. Whether Parottee families take the option may depend on what happens to the land they leave behind.
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