KINGSTON, Jamaica— Jamaicans whose homes were destroyed by the recent passage of Hurricane Beryl, are to begin receiving relief grants from the Government on Monday, August 5.

Prime Minister, Andrew Holness, made the announcement at the handover of units under the New Social Housing Programme in North Central Clarendon, on Friday.

Holness said the first set of recipients will be those who have been assessed as having totally lost their homes.

“The government has outlined a comprehensive recovery plan for reconstruction to assist families who have been verified and assessed as having suffered damage. I had announced in Parliament just over a billion dollars for this element of the reconstruction and recovery,” he stated.

Under the initiative, individuals whose houses were destroyed will receive a grant of up to $400,000; those whose homes were severely damaged will receive up to $150,000; and those who experienced minor damage will receive up to $50,000.

Holness noted that the aim is to complete the handing over process within the next three to four weeks, “so that all Jamaicans who have been assessed as having suffered damage, would be able to start their recovery and hopefully would be complete even before back to school.”

Meanwhile, the prime minister lamented that many Jamaicans have suffered loss and damage because of the category four hurricane.

“They are without electricity, some still are without water, and many are without a roof over their heads and possibly some have no means of recovery,” he said.

Hurricane Beryl affected Jamaica on July 3, bringing devastation to mainly the island’s south coast. Since then, the Government has been fast tracking recovery and rebuilding efforts.

-JIS