KINGSTON, Jamaica — The Government is said to be mobilising efforts to carry out cleanup activities and repairs in Negril, Westmoreland following the impact of flooding associated with heavy tides last week.

According to a news release on Monday, Prime Minister Andrew Holness expressed that the affected road (West End Road) needs reinforcement but shared that there is a process to getting things done.

Holness was speaking during a tour of affected areas on Saturday, February 10.

“This particular section of road here has to be reinforced. We’re [going to] have to put in a new sea wall and do all the revetment work. It is an emergency. But again, it has to go through a procurement process,” he said, indicating that the long-term solution involves studying the tourism corridor to determine how the roads can be moved inland.

“That’s the solution to protect our transportation infrastructure and to ensure that climate-related activities do not interrupt or disrupt commerce and our lives. It is the intention that, as we do the upgrade with the Montego Bay perimeter road, as we repair Long Hill, as we look towards a bypass for Hopewell – carrying that road more into the interior, as we look to redevelop and develop a new bypass for Lucea, that as we come into Negril proper, we will also have to consider moving the road inland,” the Prime Minister explained.

Holness pointed out that moving the road poses a challenge because many of the pathways being considered have already been built out. However, he said the matter must be addressed very carefully, considering that every building on the corridor is at risk.

“This is a perfect opportunity to explain to Jamaicans the impact of climate change on low-lying coastal areas. The challenge for us is that our tourism coincides heavily with low-lying coastal areas. This is the tourism belt and the nexus of land and sea around tourism, that is what gives us our beautiful product,” the Prime Minister stated.