Cash grants of up to $500,000 being provided to help restore hurricane-damaged homes

 

By Halshane Burke 

  

 

Thousands of people still picking up the pieces from hurricane Melissa are breathing a sigh of relief as the government announced its Shelter Recovery Programme.

 

Those affected by Hurricane Melissa can expect cash grants of either $75,000, $200,000 or $500,000 for minor to severe damage.

 

Prime Minister Dr. Andrew Holness said the amount that persons will receive will be based on the assessments done on their properties. 

 

"$75,000 - minor damage; that would get you a couple sheet of zinc, put back on your roof. Of course, this is not meant to totally rehabilitate. This is to support. So that's from minor damage. For major damage [$200,000]; we're assessing that you may have lost a section of your roof that would amount to maybe a room, but the structure is still intact, it's still functional, it's accessible. You still have some shelter, but there's great inconvenience. And severe damage would mean that you would have lost probably a roof accounting for more than two rooms or a total loss. The structure is inaccessible or totally damaged. And for that, you get $500,000," he announced. 

 

Prime Minister Holness said the government is directing much of the restoration effort that is taking place across western parishes. 

 

"The strategy of the government for roof restoration and shelter restoration is to, first of all, address those persons who are not able to restore their roofs themselves, and they may have lost everything. So we have what is called the government led Roof Restoration Programme. Very early in the day, I had indicated that the JDF (Jamaica Defence Force) will lead that, and the JDF is in the field coordinating with other engineering corps who have come to Jamaica to volunteer," he noted. 

 

Dr. Holness was speaking at the launch of the Shelter Recovery Programme on Thursday.