Close to $2 billion in damage caused by heavy rains — Holness
KINGSTON, Jamaica — Prime Minister Andrew Holness says the preliminary estimate for flood damage caused by the recent rains is close to $2 billion.
He was speaking this evening during a sitting of the House of Representatives at the Jamaica Conference Centre in downtown Kingston.
“The estimate for flood damage included in the report that has been presented by the NWA (National Works Agency) is preliminary as the agency is unable to access all points in the field in order to comprehensively assess the extent of the damage to infrastructure and the cost of permanent repairs,” the prime minister said.
“The preliminary damage estimate is close to $2 billion. That’s preliminary and my assessment from what I’ve been seeing and what has been reported is that the estimate will rise significantly,” Holness continued.
He said the estimated money will only cover road clearance, drain cleaning, creating access and patching, but does not include the cost of permanent repairs or major rehabilitation.
