Browsing: climate impact housing

Kingston, Jamaica — 19 March 2026 In the months following recent severe weather conditions across parts of the island, attention…

Kingston, Jamaica — 25 February 2026 Hurricane Melissa, which made landfall in Jamaica on 28 October 2025 as a Category…

If you step back and really look at Jamaica right now, the island feels a bit like a half-finished house…

NEPA is expanding its monitoring of the Black River ecosystem under a coastal management programme, responding to sustained pressure on a wetland system that protects thousands of St Elizabeth homes from flooding. The morass is both an ecological treasure and a critical piece of housing infrastructure.

Hurricane Beryl’s direct hit on Jamaica’s south coast in July 2024 exposed the structural vulnerability of housing in St Elizabeth, particularly in coastal communities around Black River and Parottee. The damage patterns told a consistent story about building standards, land tenure and the limits of informal construction.

The National Irrigation Commission maintains 237 kilometres of canals and drains across the Black River morass, protecting 34 St Elizabeth communities from flooding. It is a programme that is, in effect, a housing security system for thousands of families.