Hurricane Melissa forced Jamaica’s first major building code rewrite since 1908. The legislation was rarely the weak point, enforcement was.

Bigby rode out Melissa in his garage car, then spent months installing hurricane straps on his neighbours’ roofs before finally rebuilding his own. His family received no roofing assistance at all.

The Kingston Hub Disaster Relief Project, run by the Anglican Kingston Deanery and the District Grand Lodge of Jamaica, handed over mattresses and supplies at Christ Church and said $2 million had been donated for house repairs in western Jamaica.

Only 1.8 percent of $1.44 billion raised for Hurricane Melissa relief had been spent by February, the auditor general found. Whats behind the gap, and what its become a political flashpoint over.

Only 1.8 percent of $1.44 billion raised for Hurricane Melissa relief had been spent by February, the auditor general found. Whats behind the gap, and what its become a political flashpoint over.

Local Government Minister Desmond McKenzie said in April 2026 that his ministry will ask churches island-wide to provide disaster shelter space, as over 400 churches were set to receive post-Melissa clean-up grants, with St Elizabeth getting over $17 million.

Jamaican architects are arguing the islands own pre-concrete building tradition, not imported codes, is the more climate-resilient model for the post-Melissa rebuild.

Jamaican architects are arguing the islands own pre-concrete building tradition, not imported codes, is the more climate-resilient model for the post-Melissa rebuild.

Rebuilding Jamaica’s hurricane-hit churches will cost millions. One Black River church needs over $6 million for a roof and another faces a $31 million bill, as denominations tally destroyed sanctuaries, halls and church houses after Melissa.

Jamaica put a Citigroup and Nike board member in charge of overseeing its hurricane reconstruction spending, modelled explicitly on the committee that oversaw its debt-crisis turnaround. The pitch to global and diaspora capital is already underway.