JAMAICA | Promises Broken, Families Betrayed: The Petersfield Shelter Crisis

Government prepares to displace 86 Hurricane Melissa survivors—including 46 children—despite ministerial assurances of protection

MONTEGO BAY,  Jamaica December 31, 2025 - Forty-six children are about to learn a harsh lesson about the worth of government promises in Jamaica.

As 2025 draws to a close, these minors—along with 40 other Hurricane Melissa survivors still sheltering at Petersfield High School in Westmoreland—face the prospect of homelessness not from natural disaster, but from administrative convenience masquerading as educational priority.

The scene is grotesque in its bureaucratic cruelty: more than 50 families, displaced when Hurricane Melissa tore through their communities months ago, now receive word that the school shelter that has housed them must close to facilitate the institution's reopening. The problem? No one has told them where they're supposed to go.

When Promises Expire with Political Expediency

The betrayal is particularly galling because it was preventable. When Minister of Local Government and Community Development Desmond McKenzie visited the shelter weeks ago, he made explicit assurances that alternative arrangements would be secured before any closure.

His words, according to MP Dwayne Vaz who represents Central Westmoreland, were unambiguous: "no family would be left behind."

That promise now appears to have the same shelf life as pre-election campaign pledges. As the government moves to shutter the facility, residents report they have received no confirmed information about alternative accommodation.

The commitment that once offered comfort now stands exposed as empty political theater—words designed to pacify in the moment, with no intention of honoring them when action became necessary.

"When the Minister visited, commitments were made," Vaz stated with barely concealed frustration. "At this moment, many residents have not been informed of confirmed alternative accommodation. We must honour the promises made to these families."

The Legal Vacuum and Moral Collapse

What makes this impending displacement even more troubling is its apparent legal dubiousness. According to humanitarian partners who have assessed the situation, no court order authorizing eviction has been presented.

The government appears prepared to simply close the doors and hope the problem resolves itself—a strategy that works remarkably well when you're not the one facing homelessness.

The vulnerability of those affected should shame anyone with a functioning conscience. These are not abstract statistics but children who have already endured the trauma of losing homes to hurricane winds, families still recovering from disaster, individuals whose lives were upended through no fault of their own.

Now they face a second displacement—this time inflicted not by nature's fury but by governmental indifference.

A Pattern of Abandonment

The Petersfield crisis is not an isolated failure but part of a disturbing pattern in Jamaica's Hurricane Melissa response. From the unequal distribution of relief supplies to the extended closure of tourism properties that has left thousands of workers without income for nearly a year, the government's post-disaster performance reveals priorities that consistently favor institutional convenience over human welfare.

MP Vaz's demand for an immediate pause on the closure until "clear, confirmed, and communicated alternative housing arrangements are in place" is not radical—it is the bare minimum standard of responsible governance.

His insistence that "we are not opposing progress, we are insisting on fairness and care" draws the distinction precisely: genuine progress does not require sacrificing the vulnerable on the altar of administrative efficiency.

The Choice Before Government

Jamaica now faces a clarifying moment. Will it honor Minister McKenzie's promise, demonstrating that governmental commitments mean something beyond political performance? Or will it proceed with a closure that transforms 86 hurricane survivors into government-created homeless statistics?

The families at Petersfield High School deserve an answer. Jamaica's conscience demands one. And Minister McKenzie's credibility depends on it.

As Vaz concluded: "These families deserve certainty, stability, and respect as we move forward."

The question is whether this government possesses the will—or the basic decency—to provide it.

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