Vaz warns of fire risk in damaged homes

Hurricane Melissa has left hundreds of families in St Elizabeth struggling in unsafe and damaged homes, prompting the Government to urgently divert millions to repair and rewire houses before electricity is fully restored.

Speaking at the launch of the JPS Emergency Mobile Power Generation Unit in Treasure Beach, Minister of Science, Energy, Telecommunications and Transport Daryl Vaz said the funds were taken from the National Energy Poverty Reduction Programme, launched last year, to respond to the storm's devastating impact.

"We have diverted $372 million out of our national energy poverty reduction project as a result of the passage of Hurricane Melissa through St Elizabeth, and it will extend to other parishes," Vaz said.

Melissa ripped roofs from homes, flooded communities, damaged internal wiring and left many houses electrically unsafe, even where structures were partially repaired. Several families remain displaced or living under tarpaulins, while others risk fire hazards if power is restored without proper certification. Vaz said the Government is moving cautiously to avoid further tragedy.

"It doesn't make sense if you repair your house and put on your roof and the water has done damage to your wiring. When you turn on the light, you might have a fire which could be worse than Melissa," he warned.

Under the revised programme, 800 houses will receive minor building repairs to allow for safe electrical certification. An additional 600 households will get house wiring support, while 1,400 households will benefit from full Government Electrical Regulator (GER) certification. Another 1,400 households will receive selected social services identified through electrification fairs. The financial breakdown includes $240 million for minor repairs, $90 million for house wiring and $42 million for GER certification.

"So the Government is acting responsibly and diverting these funds to the affected parishes, so people can be safe as we return to normalcy," Vaz said.