PNP MPs say Melissa housing grant not enough

Opposition Members of Parliament are raising urgent concerns about the sufficiency and fairness of government allocations for housing repairs in the aftermath of Hurricane Melissa, highlighting the overwhelming needs in their constituencies.

Zuleka Jess, MP for St Elizabeth North East, detailed the high demand she has faced.

"On the very first day that my constituency office reopened after the hurricane, we had over 600 persons in attendance at the office asking for housing assistance. Over 600," she said.

She added that many residents were unaware of government deadlines for reporting damage, leaving their information uncaptured.

Jess expressed the difficulty of providing meaningful assistance with limited resources.

"The Government has given a directive recommending that you give $100,000 to each beneficiary. I have not been able to do so. I have taken the decision that I cannot choose who should benefit and who should not... some may get only $12,000, which is probably just three sheets of zinc."

She stressed that aid is distributed without regard to political affiliation.

Dr Dayton Campbell, MP for Westmoreland East, described the magnitude of the challenge in his constituency, which has over 40,000 residents.

"We are given an allocation of $10 million in a constituency where 5,000 homes were totally destroyed. It is totally insufficient to meet the need that is there," he said.

Dwayne Vaz, the MP for Westmoreland Central, said that if the guidelines are followed, the $10 million allocation can assist a maximum of 100 people in the constituency.

"Our constituency is the largest when it comes down to registered voters with over 52,000, which actually means we should have over 80,000 people living in the constituency," Vaz said.

"So we know it's a huge constituency, and assisting 100 people from the government grant is simply inadequate," he added.

Adding to the discussion, Opposition Leader Mark Golding emphasised the need for equitable, need-based allocations, rather than a one-size-fits-all approach.

"I don't think in this situation it's sensible or realistic to have a one-size-fits-all basis for allocation. All constituencies have some needs because the hurricane did have impact everywhere, but the degree is on a huge differential curve," he said.

Golding urged that areas with extensive damage should receive funding that reflects the severity of loss.

"They need to be adequately resourced and included in the process, so that the people can feel that the State is responding in a serious way, in an efficient way, and in a fair and equitable way to the disaster that has befallen their lives."