Prime Minister Urges Climate Adaptation in Aftermath of Hurricane Melissa

In the wake of Hurricane Melissa, Prime Minister, Dr. the Most Hon. Andrew Holness, has underscored the urgent need for Jamaicans to recognise the evolving risks of climate change and adapt their homes and communities accordingly.

Dr. Holness, who was addressing the official opening of the newly reconstructed Little London Police Station in Westmoreland on Friday (November 28), noted that “the climate in which we exist as human beings is becoming more and more unfavourable to the old traditional ways of how we choose to live.”

He highlighted that “hotter oceans are creating more energy for more destructive storms,” noting the increased frequency of Category Five hurricanes in recent decades.

The Prime Minister also stressed the importance of Jamaicans incorporating climate considerations into their planning and daily lifestyle choices.

“As responsible citizens, you must now factor into how you choose to live, the impacts of the climate. In other words, are we likely to have more hurricanes? Are we likely to have more tropical storms? Are we likely to see droughts? Are we likely to see sea level rise taking away some of our coastal lands?” he reasoned.

Dr. Holness explained that the changing climate will expose Jamaicans to more frequent and intense natural disasters, while urging the adoption of strategies for both mitigation and adaptation.

“The climate is not going to change for you. You will have to change to adapt to the climate… or you will have to put up strategies to mitigate [and] make the impact less,” he said.

Dr. Holness also highlighted three key lessons arising from the recent passage of Hurricane Melissa.

“Number one, how we choose to build; number two, where we choose to build, and number three, our understanding of the world in which we live,” he said.

Dr. Holness encourages homeowners to adopt proven construction methods, including hurricane straps and proper roof design, to reduce vulnerability to storms.

He also urges communities to carefully consider settlement locations in light of climate risks.

“The extent of damage that is done, when you look at it, is that you have houses and communities that are in places [where people]… should not have lived or built [homes]… [these include] riverbanks, gully banks, riverbeds, steep hills and unstable soil,” the Prime Minister explained, emphasising that safety must guide future development.

Dr. Holness underscored that the resilience of Jamaica’s citizens must be coupled with heightened climate awareness.

“The ability that we must have is not just to adapt and to mitigate. The other ability… is this quality of resilience [so] that [if] you get hit by the unexpected… [and] you get knocked down, you [are able to] get back up… and return to normalcy,” he stated.