Dear Editor,

A roof can be replaced. A road can be repaired. Electricity can be restored. But how do we rebuild a person who has lost everything and still wakes each morning afraid of what tomorrow might bring?

One year after Hurricane Melissa devastated sections of Jamaica, recovery is being measured through reconstructed buildings, reopened facilities, and money spent. These achievements matter. Yet behind the visible progress are people whose lives remain unsettled.

New research reported by The News on October 29 offers a troubling perspective. In a study involving 108 adults in Westmoreland shortly after the hurricane, 76.9 per cent reported emotional distress, while 31.5 per cent reported suicidal thoughts.

The findings cannot be generalised to all hurricane survivors, but they raise an urgent question: Have we focused so heavily on rebuilding infrastructure that we are overlooking the people living beneath it?

Consider a parent whose home has been repaired but whose livelihood has disappeared. The walls may be standing, yet uncertainty about food, employment, and debt remains. For such a family, recovery is far from complete.

The study identified financial hardship as a particularly significant factor associated with psychological distress. That finding should influence how Jamaica approaches disaster recovery.

Counselling has an important place, but emotional recovery cannot be separated from economic survival. A person struggling to feed a family needs more than reassurance. Employment opportunities, accessible assistance, and the restoration of community life are also essential.

We often celebrate Jamaican resilience. We praise those who endure hardship, rebuild after tragedy and somehow find the strength to continue. But have we made resilience an expectation, rather than something we actively support?

There is a danger in constantly describing people as strong. It can make their suffering easier to overlook, particularly when they feel pressured to appear grateful for whatever assistance they receive.

Disaster recovery should therefore extend beyond construction targets and financial reports. It must consider whether displaced families have regained stability, whether livelihoods have returned and whether vulnerable citizens can access meaningful psychological support.

This is not an argument against rebuilding infrastructure. It is an argument for recognising that infrastructure exists to serve people.

Jamaica must measure recovery through both physical progress and human well-being.

A repaired roof may keep out the rain, but it cannot, by itself, restore peace of mind, dignity, or hope.

Until we recognise that distinction we may succeed in rebuilding our communities while leaving too many of the people within them struggling to recover.

Rene Watkis

renedicken@hotmail.com