First container homes expected by January as Post-Melissa housing plan begins

Prime Minister Dr Andrew Holness, has announced that the National Housing Trust (NHT) will procure 5,000 pre-built container homes for rapid deployment across the island, in order to address urgent housing needs following Hurricane Melissa.

"We have examined pre-built containerised modular solutions, and we have settled in our minds that this is appropriate for the Jamaican situation that we now have," Dr Holness informed during a Special Press Briefing on Hurricane Melissa Recovery at Jamaica House on Wednesday (November 19).

The announcement comes as the Government confronts damage to an estimated 150,000 buildings, ranging from partial roof loss to complete structural collapse.

Dr Holness noted that the Ministry of Labour and Social Security has so far conducted just over 16,000 assessments across the island, aimed at determining the level of support required by citizens.

While this process remains underway, the Government has already begun shaping its response to the housing challenge, with the initial phase centered on the NHT's procurement of container homes.

"Some of them will be for sale. So, with a programme with the NHT, you will be able to purchase. Some of them will be used to build housing schemes, which you can purchase. The Government will also be purchasing some of these containerised housing solutions, which will be made available through the social housing modality,"Dr Holness outlined.

He noted that, given the estimated shipping period of 30 to 90 days, the houses are expected to begin arriving in Jamaica by late January, with the first units allocated to those who suffered the most severe damage.

In the interim, the Government will prioritise the distribution of shelter repair kits, heavy-duty tarpaulins, and other immediate relief solutions.

"In the first phase, the goal is to quickly stabilise households and make damaged homes liveable while longer-term rebuilding plans are put in place," the Prime Minister affirmed.

Meanwhile, he emphasised that the Government will provide rebuilding grants to citizens whose homes sustained damage.

The framework for the delivery of these grants is still being finalised; however, the Prime Minister explained that the system employed in the aftermath of Hurricane Beryl last year will serve as precedent.

This system classified losses into three categories--minor, moderate, and severe--with corresponding cash grants allocated to each grouping.

"Now, we're not going to wait until we have assessed every single house. But we do need to reach a critical threshold where we begin to see how the damage is stacking up from a statistical point of view, so we know how much to allocate for minor repairs, how much to allocate for moderate repairs, and how much to allocate for severe damage,"Prime Minister Holness stated.

He added that a clearer picture of the damage sustained by residential properties should emerge once assessments reach the 30,000 mark.

- JIS

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