Monday, October 12, 2026
Insurers have now paid out J$54.35 billion on Hurricane Melissa claims, according to Insurance Association of Jamaica figures, but the money has flowed overwhelmingly to businesses. Of the J$51.98 billion paid on property claims up to 30 September, commercial policyholders received J$41.61 billion and residential policyholders just J$10.37 billion, about a fifth. St James alone, home to Montego Bay’s insured hotels, accounts for J$30.55 billion, while hard-hit St Elizabeth recorded comparatively little because so few homes there were insured.
Industry figures have put the share of underinsured homes at roughly 95 per cent, and the average clause, which cuts a payout when a house is insured for less than its rebuilding cost, has left many owners with less than they expected. The Financial Services Commission plans to publish a verified picture of outstanding claims on 16 October, days before the storm’s first anniversary. Nearly a year on, when the rescue money arrives, who is it really built to lift out of the water?
In scratchy pen and wash, a homeowner bobs in choppy flood water beside the zinc roof of his half-submerged house, clinging to a rubber ring marked “UNDERINSURED HOME”. A rescue helicopter labelled “J$54 BILLION PAID” dangles its ladder and money bag just out of reach, swinging towards a resort hotel on the dry hillside, as he calls out “WHAT ABOUT HOMES?”. Beneath him circles a shark marked “AVERAGE CLAUSE”.
Read more: J$54bn in Melissa Claims Paid, but Homes Got a Fifth and Regulator to Put Hard Numbers on Melissa Insurance Claims
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