Cedric Stephens | Funding drainage infrastructure for Kingston and St Andrew
The September 25, 2025, flood rains that battered Kingston and St Andrew, occurred nearly 12 months after a similar event inundated the rural village of John’s Hall, St James. A resident, according to this newspaper, said it was her first time...
The September 25, 2025, flood rains that battered Kingston and St Andrew, occurred nearly 12 months after a similar event inundated the rural village of John’s Hall, St James.
A resident, according to this newspaper, said it was her first time experiencing such flooding in the area in 58 years. No supporting data were presented to confirm or refute that bit of oral history.
Weather experts said that the heavy rainfall in that section of St James was caused by the presence of a weather system, a trough, located across central and western parishes and that it remained stationary for days. It was said to have caused the conditions that led to the heavy rainfall. No other information was provided.
The Meteorological Service of Jamaica said it collected rainfall data from three weather stations about the urban flood, about one year later. It shared the mean rainfall record for September for one of those three stations for the 30-year period, 1971 to 2000, in addition to information about the volume of rainfall that fell during the downpour. My analysis of that data which is summarised in the table on this page provides a crude measure to compare the two floods.
One local engineer said the urban flood would be classified as a 50 to 100-year storm. The mean rainfall for the 30-year period for September, according to the Met Service’s records, was 140 millimetres. This suggests an average amount of rainfall of 4.67 millimetres per day during September over a 30-year period.
When these daily numbers are compared with the actual average hourly rainfall in parts of Kingston and St Andrew on September 25 this year for periods of up to three hours, they provide an idea of the scale of this year’s event, and why it resulted in such widespread disruption.
The flood that ravaged Texas in July and killed over 100 people was caused by a weather system that dumped more than 254 millimetres (equivalent to 10 inches) of rainfall in a few hours.
One expert speaking with The New York Times said that it was too early to say with certainty that the slow-moving thunderstorms that affected Texas were made worse by man-made climate change.
However, the weather system that unleashed more than 10 inches of rain in a matter of hours ‘is precisely the kind of phenomenon that is becoming more common because of global warming”. Is this type of occurrence happening locally?
“The atmosphere is like a giant sponge,” said Arsum Pathak, director of adaptation and coastal resilience at the National Wildlife Federation. “As the air gets warmer, which is what’s been happening because of climate change, the sponge can hold a lot more water. And then when there’s a storm, the same sponge can squeeze out way more water than it used to.”
Can the John’s Hall and September 25 floods be attributed to climate change?
Christopher Burgess, PhD, a registered civil engineer, land developer and Gleaner columnist, offered insights into why the island’s “most developed areas were overcome so spectacularly” during last month’s flood.
The cause, he wrote, lies “less in climate change and more in Kingston’s chronic absence and neglect of drainage infrastructure”. His comments should be repeated: “This disaster was foretold. The National Works Agency’s 2011 Comprehensive Drainage & Flood Control Master Plan documented Kingston’s vulnerabilities. It identified absent, aged, and undersized drains in Half-Way Tree and several areas in Kingston. Plans for the improvement were drawn up … but barely implemented to date. Approximately two of the 44 plans (or 4.5 per cent) have been implemented in 14 years.
“And for Cross Roads, New Kingston, and Barbican? There is no drainage improvement plan at all. Nevertheless, the study warned that without investment in these areas, they would remain vulnerable. A decade later, the warning is being realised.
Meanwhile, Kingston experienced a building boom under the 2017 Kingston and St Andrew Development Orders that permitted higher densities, but the supporting drainage infrastructure was never installed to support the higher concentration s of apartments in these areas.”
But what if Mr. Burgess’s theory was incorrect? Could the absence of drains and aged and undersized drainage infrastructure and climate change induced rainfall that has contributed equally to the September 25 event? If this is a likely scenario, it would be reasonable to expect more flood events like this in future. The United Kingdom experienced recurring flood events in the early 2000. This precipitated a crisis in the availability and affordability of household insurance.
Mr Burgess’s excellent article concluded with a call for investment in climate resilience and the implementation of the remaining 95.5 per cent of the 2011 drainage plan (which is probably out of date) and gathering more dust. Today’s column will offer some generic ideas about potential sources of funding for drainage infrastructure projects from the local insurance industry.
Small island developing states, like Jamaica, face unique structural vulnerabilities: small domestic markets, exposure to climate-related natural disasters, reliance on tourism and external financing, and limited fiscal space. At the same time, life and non-life insurers and pension funds in this jurisdiction hold large, long-term pools of capital.
Mobilising a portion of this capital for investment in drainage infrastructure could support national resilience, climate adaptation, and inclusive development. Could there be another temporary lowering of the regulatory capital of these entities to release resources for investment, pool them with resources for the National Insurance Fund and the National Housing Trust be employed to help finance drainage infrastructure for the island’s capital?
Execution of this strategy would, as indicated in last week’s piece, provide confirmation that insurance should be viewed purely as a recurring expense or grudge purchase. It can play an integral part of the island’s economic growth development strategy.
Cedric E. Stephens provides independent information and advice about the management of risks and insurance. For free information or counsel, write to: aegis@flowja.com or business@gleanerjm.com