Press Release From OPM - October 26, 2026
 |
| PM Andrew Holness |
Prime Minister Dr the Most Honourable Andrew Holness is encouraging Jamaicans to rethink where and how communities are established, as increasingly severe weather exposes the risks associated with building in vulnerable areas.
Prime Minister Holness was speaking on Friday (October 23, 2026) at a New Social Housing Programme (NSHP) home handover amid heavy rainfall that triggered flash flooding, road damage and landslides in rural St Andrew and both constituencies in St Thomas.
“I'm saying to Jamaicans that we're living in a different time, and we have to think differently about how we choose to settle land and the communities we choose to build in Jamaica,” he said.
Dr Holness said the changing climate is creating more frequent and overlapping weather extremes, requiring a shift in how Jamaicans approach housing and land use.
“The climate is changing. It is producing severe weather more often. And the severe weather is overlapping. So, you are moving from a state of severe drought to a state of intense rainfall. And it is happening almost every year,” he said.
The Prime Minister warned that communities established decades or centuries ago were not necessarily developed with today's weather risks in mind.
“We can't expect that we can build on the gully banks, build in the river course, and build on the hillsides, and there is no weather event that will create havoc with those structures,” he said.
He noted that the consequences of extreme weather were increasingly evident in damaged roads, flooded homes and landslides affecting communities.
The Prime Minister said the Government would mobilise resources to assist communities affected by the recent rainfall.
Meanwhile, Dr Holness pointed to the NSHP as an example of the importance of building homes to appropriate standards, disclosing that more than 360 houses had been completed under the programme, with more than 50 others under construction.
The Prime Minister said none of the houses constructed under the programme had been significantly affected by hurricanes, tropical storms or seismic activity.
“And that is because we built the code, we built the standard, and they are properly designed for resilience and sustainability,” he said.
Prime Minister Holness said the recent weather experience reinforced the need for Jamaicans to consider not only the structural integrity of individual homes but also the suitability of the land and the wider conditions in which communities are developed.
Editor's Note
Mr Prime Minister, it is clear that the parish authorities are not monitoring and checking on new buildings. Our political leaders must ensure that there is law and order. Councillors are paid and so are the officers of the various councils.
Keep abreast of the news and information in the world. Bark Di Trute, a Jamaican blog, is packed with accurate information. Click the following link and get information at your fingertips. WhatsApp link is: https://chat.whatsapp.com/C9bkP96JIN2JgHiuktY3Jj,
_________________
_________________
Subscribe Now!
Without your support, Bark Di Trute could fail to bark one day. Send your ideas, stories, and news by WhatsApp at (876) 816-5261.
You can view the blog on your computer at https://vderby.blogspot.com, and you will be able to see the various links. For example, there is a link that takes you to the calendar to see what is happening on the weekend. You can even search the site for articles. There is also a weather link, which you can use to track hurricanes.
_____________________
No comments:
Post a Comment
Blogs will be forwarded to national leaders, business leaders and others who might need to see such blogs.