Kingston, Jamaica — 6 January 2026
Jamaica’s housing and property market is entering 2026 under the combined weight of hurricane recovery and tighter household economics after Hurricane Melissa made landfall on 28 October 2025 and caused widespread damage that continues to shape rebuilding, insurance, and development decisions across the island.
Hurricane Melissa’s impact has been described by international and humanitarian reporting as severe, with 45 confirmed deaths in Jamaica as of 11 November 2025 and significant displacement and infrastructure disruption during the emergency phase. Separate reporting cited around US$10 billion in damage and nearly 200,000 buildings damaged, underscoring the scale of the housing and built-environment shock that now sits behind many 2026 property decisions. Post-disaster analysis and operational updates have also pointed to large-scale social impact, including assessments indicating extensive damage across facilities and services.
