Holness: Black River will rise again
Published:Friday | January 2, 2026 | 12:09 AMAlbert Ferguson /Gleaner Writer WESTERN BUREAU:
Prime Minister Dr Andrew Holness has said that Black River in St Elizabeth will not only recover from the devastation of Hurricane Melissa but will be rebuilt stronger, more resilient, and more inclusive.
Addressing residents in the hurricane-battered seaside town, Holness praised the determination of citizens who have already begun repairing their homes without waiting on state support.
“Now I know you are a strong people, resilient people. You are fighting the fight. I want to commend and applaud all of you who started to take up back the sheets of zinc and nail it on your house and are not waiting on the Government,” Holness said.
He shared the story of a chance encounter in the town centre that, he said, captured the spirit of self-help emerging across the parish.
“A trying man stopped me in the middle of the town and said, ‘Prime Minister, all I want is 10 sheets of zinc.’ He got his 10 sheets of zinc, and he is a happy man. He even sent me a message to say how happy he is,” Holness told the residents, who gathered amid the rubble of the Black River Courthouse on Wednesday night for the Urban Development Corporation’s inaugural Fireworks Festival in the parish.
While applauding such initiative, the prime minister stressed that government assistance would be carefully targeted.
“The Government is coming with some assistance, but the assistance has to be done on assessment,” he said. “At the end of the day, this is about helping the needy and not the greedy; helping the people who actually need it.”
Holness said more than 50,000 damage assessments had already been completed in the affected areas ravaged by Hurricane Melissa, with Cabinet set to finalise categories and compensation levels.
“Whether you got minor damage, greater damage, or severe damage, we will finalise the associated amount that each will get,” he explained, noting that beneficiaries must have proper identification and verifiable damage. The system, he said, will be “transparent and well run” to ensure fairness and prevent multiple claims.
Looking beyond immediate relief, Holness framed the hurricane as a turning point for long-term development.
“The hurricane was a disaster. It created a crisis, but every crisis creates an opportunity,” he said. “This is an opportunity to rebuild Black River, not the way it was, but to rebuild Black River for the future – to withstand the storms that will, no doubt, come again.”
Rejecting fears of displacement, he added: “Far from being left out, this reconstruction will be inclusive … . The dream is that everyone can have a place with a title. I give you my commitment that Black River will rise again.”