School Shelter Residents to Be Relocated By May 8

All persons still accommodated in school shelters following the destruction of their homes by Hurricane Melissa are expected to be relocated by May 8.

The Ministry of Local Government and Community Development recently announced that all persons still housed in school shelters following the passage of the Category Five hurricane will be relocated by the stated deadline.

Minister of Education, Skills, Youth and Information, Senator Dr. the Hon. Dana Morris Dixon, provided an update while responding to questions during Wednesday’s (May 6) post-Cabinet press briefing at Jamaica House.

“In terms of the deadline, when I spoke to [Local Government] Minister [Hon. Desmond] McKenzie, he said things were on track for that. Yesterday (May 5) I was at Petersfield High School [in Westmoreland] where the shelterees are, and they have actually commenced [moving out]. So, there is a new facility that… I know was being prepared, and that is in train. So as far as I know, we are on track for that,” she told journalists.

Category Five Hurricane Melissa made landfall in Jamaica on October 28, 2025, causing catastrophic damage across sections of the island.

Total damage and losses from Hurricane Melissa are estimated at $1.952 trillion (US$12.2 billion), equivalent to 56.7 per cent of Jamaica’s 2024 gross domestic product (GDP).