Letter of the Day | Recovery must include Category 5 hurricane shelters

THE EDITOR, Madam:

As Jamaica continues the arduous work of recovery after Hurricane Melissa, it is important to acknowledge the visible efforts under way – particularly housing repairs, infrastructure rehabilitation, and targeted recovery programmes in the hardest-hit parishes. These interventions matter deeply to families still rebuilding their lives and livelihoods.

However, recovery must not eclipse preparedness.

Across recent months, public discourse has understandably centred on post-disaster reconstruction. What has been far less visible is a serious national conversation on whether Jamaica is building the next generation of hurricane shelters – structures deliberately engineered to withstand Category 5 storms, not merely adapted for emergency use. With the 2026 Atlantic hurricane season now only six months away, that silence is troubling.

The Bahamas has recently opened a purpose-built, climate-resilient hurricane shelter and community centre designed to withstand extreme Category 5 conditions. It functions as a community asset in ordinary times and a hardened refuge during disasters. That model should provoke urgent reflection in Jamaica. Our island relies heavily on a wide network of designated shelters – many of them schools or public buildings that were never designed to absorb sustained winds, storm surge, or prolonged isolation associated with modern superstorms.

RESILIENCE AGENDA

Hurricane Melissa exposed this vulnerability. Even relatively new public infrastructure suffered damage, raising serious questions about design standards, enforcement of standards, and long-term resilience. Listing hundreds of shelters is not the same as guaranteeing safety when wind speeds exceed 160 miles per hour, and power, water, and access roads fail simultaneously.

What is needed now is clarity. Jamaicans deserve to know whether government plans include the construction of purpose-built, Category 5-rated hurricane shelters; which parishes will be prioritised; what engineering standards will apply; and how accessibility, water security, backup energy, and medical readiness will be ensured. These are not academic questions – they are matters of life and dignity.

Preparedness is not pessimism; it is responsibility. The cost of building resilient shelters is significant, but the cost of not doing so is always greater, measured in lives disrupted or lost.

As the next hurricane season approaches, Jamaica must widen its recovery narrative into a resilience agenda – one that recognises that stronger storms are no longer theoretical. Planning for Category 5 realities is not alarmist; it is prudent governance.

DUDLEY MCLEAN II