Catherine Hall a priority recovery zone, says Chang

WESTERN BUREAU:

In Catherine Hall, where rotting debris still hangs heavy the air, residents gathered under a large white tent on Wednesday to press the Government for faster action, saying the ongoing recovery from Hurricane Melissa remains painfully slow.

Deputy Prime Minister Dr Horace Chang responded with a major announcement: Catherine Hall has now been elevated to a Government priority zone for post-Melissa recovery, with technical teams ordered to remain in the community until critical clean-up and restoration work is completed.

“This is now a priority zone,” Chang told the gathering. “We are going to clean up Catherine Hall and restore essential services. Teams are staying here until the work is done.”

Chang said that although response agencies had been active in the constituency since the day after the storm, the level of destruction across western Jamaica initially overwhelmed assessment teams, forcing the Government to triage communities based on severity.

“This is an urban community,” he explained. “But when entire areas between Central and Bristol were wiped out, we had to prioritise places where every house was gone. We are asking for your patience. The Government will ensure that the people are supported.”

Residents pressed Chang on whether the area would be formally declared a disaster zone and whether the Jamaica Defence Force (JDF) would be deployed more heavily to reopen access routes and remove debris.

“The army is active. The police force is fully deployed. We have called up the full reserves,” he said, noting that the JDF has been assisting with evacuation and recovery in the worst-affected zones. He highlighted communities like Whitehouse, where “no building is standing”, to illustrate the wide geographic spread of catastrophic damage.

St James West Central Member of Parliament (MP) Marlene Malahoo Forte told residents she understood their frustration, but urged them to appreciate that Melissa’s winds created devastation far beyond what existing systems were designed to handle.

“If I hadn’t gone on the road from early, I wouldn’t realise the extent of the downed lines and the level of damage,” she said.

While commending the Jamaica Public Service (JPS) for its restoration efforts, Malahoo Forte criticised longstanding lapses in maintenance that made the situation worse.

“Maintenance of the lines has fallen year after year,” she said. “Debris has been left on the lines. But the force of the winds was unprecedented, so it is hard to compare.”

Garbage collection

She also called for an organised garbage-collection schedule, noting that the solid waste system struggles even in normal times, and is now buckling under the volume of debris.

“The public-health implications are great,” she warned. “It is reasonable to ask for a structured schedule.”

The MP said that although residents may still see mounds of debris in certain pockets, far more waste has already been cleared than is immediately visible.

Residents demanded clear dates for drain cleaning, garbage removal, and road repairs, warning that any significant rainfall could trigger a new round of flooding.

Chang said the Government is receiving daily updates from teams in the field.

“Every single day we ask for updates,” he said. “We understand the challenge, and we will respond.”

He emphasised that western Jamaica’s destruction mirrors – if not exceeds – the devastation of Hurricane Gilbert, explaining why the recovery is complex and prolonged.

janet.silvera@gleanerjm.com