Why Everyone Has a Point — and Why That’s the Point**
By Dean Jones, Founder – Jamaica Homes
Hurricane Melissa did more than rip roofs from houses; it exposed the quiet truths we’ve avoided for decades — truths about land, affordability, vulnerability, and how our society decides who gets to feel safe in their own home. Almost 190,000 homes were affected, but for many families across Westmoreland and Hanover, the storm didn’t “create” vulnerability — it simply revealed it.
Now, as tarpaulins flap where roofs once stood and families sleep in cars or damp rooms, Jamaica finds itself standing at a fork in the road. The question is no longer if we should rebuild, but how we choose to rebuild — and whether we allow this moment to change us.
What I want to suggest — boldly, respectfully, and from experience — is this:
Everybody is right.
Yes, the critics.
Yes, the government.
Yes, the engineers.
Yes, the people who live in the houses.
And if we listen carefully, without defensiveness, we might notice…
