Government’s Hurricane Melissa Response Expenditure Reaches $84 Billion

More than $11 billion has been spent on school repairs across Jamaica as part of the Government’s response to Hurricane Melissa, Prime Minister Andrew Holness has disclosed.

Of the 308 schools designated Priority One, 144 have been fully repaired with infrastructure intended to provide greater resilience.

Details of the rehabilitation work were presented during a special press briefing at Jamaica House on Tuesday, October 27.

Holness also reported that approximately $1.7 billion in donations had been received towards the hurricane response as of October 26, 2026.

The contributions account for just under two per cent of the Government’s total expenditure, according to the Prime Minister.

Of the donated funds, $750 million was allocated to the Office of Disaster Preparedness and Emergency Management (ODPEM) for roof repairs being undertaken through the Shelter Recovery Programme by the Government and its partners.

That allocation financed materials such as lumber, zinc, nails and tools to facilitate the installation of 575 roofs by the Jamaica Defence Force (JDF) and partner organisations.

Another $800 million was assigned to the semi-permanent housing component of the recovery programme.

The Ministry of Economic Growth and Infrastructure Development received an allocation of $700 million, while $100 million was directed to the Ministry of Local Government and Community Development.

Holness thanked contributors to the recovery initiative and maintained that donated funds had been used prudently and meaningfully.

Meanwhile, overall government expenditure on the Hurricane Melissa response has reached approximately $84 billion since the passage of the Category-5 system on October 28, 2025.

Included in that amount is a US$150-million loan provided to the Jamaica Public Service Company Limited (JPS) to assist with electricity restoration.

The Prime Minister characterised the response as Jamaica’s largest relief and recovery undertaking, exceeding the scale of the CARE programme implemented during the COVID-19 pandemic.

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