Patricia Green | Hurricane Melissa architecture and land decolonisation

“… I will uncover your skirts over your face, That your shame may appear …” was spoken by God to the prophet Jeremiah about ancient Israel. Is this exposure applicable to post-disaster Jamaica? Hurricane Melissa making landfall on October 28 uncovered more than roofing. It uncovered the need to decolonise architecture and land as we close 2025. It begs for social-justice reform as Jamaica enters 2026.

Scientifically, Hurricane Melissa exposed the ever-intensifying impact of human-induced climate change on Small Island Developing States (SIDS) for which Prof Michael Taylor said that what keeps being described as ‘unprecedented’ should now be considered as inescapable at the University of the West Indies /Victoria Mutual Distinguished Lecture discussing ‘The Post-Melissa Climate: Why the Conversation Must Change!’ for tiny Caribbean islands and their economies trying to manage climate action.

Technically, in the construction sector, many concerns are arising. An estimated 5,000 foldable container units are under consideration by the Government to house hurricane victims. The Incorporated Masterbuilders Association of Jamaica, the Jamaica Institution of Engineers, and the Jamaica Institute of Architects issued a joint statement on December 3 that these units should only be used after structural, thermal, chemical, and anchorage testing, and formal safety certification. Will such tests be undertaken to protect the people receiving these containers for housing?

The Jamaica Developers Association held a Webinar on December 4 titled ‘Building for the Future - Costs, Risks, and Resilience Post-Melissa’. This had two main presentations on eco-friendly housing construction and affordable mass-housing solutions. Following these were three perspectives by a realtor, a banker, and a quantity surveyor. The discussions that followed these presentations revolved around critical distinctions between eco-friendly features relating to climate comfort that may need to be reconsidered when confronted with extreme weather and hurricane resilience, especially with increased Category 5 experiences in the Caribbean. The big question from the public over imported technology for rapid rebuilding is whether it is bulletproof. The overarching discussion by all panellists and the Q&A centred on a possible need for improved building codes. Significantly, the call was repeated for enhanced adherence to the law, codes, inspection, and enforcement by the authorities.

SPEAKS TO RESILIENCE

Sociologically, across the spectrum of wood or concrete architecture, small or large scale, public, institutional, and religious buildings, closer examination of aerial footage of the Hurricane Melissa devastation reveals that nestled in the midst are several structures that were not destroyed. These had minimal damage to their walls and roofing. This revelation speaks to the resilience of the Jamaica traditional historic architecture to withstand even a Category 5 hurricane. The miraculous low loss of life and the stories of personal resilience and community spirit of caring bring a powerful closure to 2025.

The shame from the exposure of Hurricane Melissa must be removed in 2026 to reverse disenfranchisement of Jamaicans. Allow the winds of Hurricane Melissa to blow away the past for a fresh, wholesome future of progress in vital ways:

First, inclusive democratic planning. Hear the cry of the people to include them in the decision-making processes for small and especially large-scale developments in their communities. In Montego Bay, were any assessment tests carried out prior to overhead road-building exercises, especially excavations and culvert constructions? What about the placement of highrise towers on the edge of the Marine Park?

With these large-scale development injections, how would they impact water penetration and percolation across a city generally prone to flooding? These are predictable through technical simulations. Would the rising passage of water and mud flow be predictable as part of community planning? With public consultations, citizens would be able to insist that certain work should be completed before the start of the annual hurricane season.

Today, the Singapore Government undertakes computer simulations for all urban interventions, posts these publicly on various platforms, calls public meetings, and invites public discussions. In today’s technology era, rising mud and/or water in any housing development can be predicted in advance, and the people should be notified beforehand where all public works and large-scale developments are proposed.

AFFORDABLE HOUSING

Second, poverty alleviation affordable housing. Hear the cry of the people to provide them with affordable housing. In those badly affected Hurricane Melissa areas, successive governments have made promises of hotel-worker housing. These are generally tied to hotel-investment agreements. Will these families be given such housing? Or will they be forced to continue to depend on a land spot from a family member or friend or someone offering them a lease to put down a house, which they later have to lift up and relocate somewhere else? Proverbs states that when you lend to the poor, you give to God.

Let us enable the blessing of the Lord that makes rich and adds no sorrow to come upon Jamaica through the Government providing affordable houses for the poor. In the 2026 Hurricane Season, houses will become resiliently anchored with deep foundations into the land to avoid hurricane-force winds displacing them.

Third, land social justice. Hear the cry of the people on how it would be possible to reverse the trend where most lands are in Government ownership as Crown lands, paralleling the role of the former enslavers as the majority land owner. When speaking with the poor, they share being victims of land scamming where individuals are signing leases for land plots to build houses that include the provision of utility services on the land.

The big question is, how can these lands become secure tenure instead of private offers of 10-year leases? Hurricane Melissa has blown away the tree canopy, exposing the vast concentration of land-use by the poor, which mirrors the patterns of generational plantation colonialism. Going forward, will the Government institute social justice among the poor in the severely affected communities in Western Jamaica?

Decolonisation actions are required in 2026 as Jamaica moves forward. This would spell economic growth and poverty alleviation – a shift to being people-centred versus dependent-centred is the cry to look forward to with hope for a prosperous New Year.

Patricia Green, PhD, a registered architect and conservationist, is an independent scholar and advocate for the built and natural environment. Send feedback to patgreen2008@gmail.com and columns@gleanerjm.com.