Smarter construction needed to withstand storms

As Jamaica begins to count the cost of damage caused by Hurricane Melissa, one construction company executive is warning that the country cannot afford to rebuild using yesterday's standards.

Allando Campbell, operations manager at Immaculate Maintenance Company Limited, says the next phase of recovery must be guided by structural standards, not tradition.

"People are really struggling right now," Campbell said. "But rebuilding after Melissa can't just mean putting the same house back up. We have to build for what's coming, Category 5 hurricanes." According to reports, roofs of more than 120,000 structures were ripped off, affecting approximately 90,000 families. Most of the damage occurred in the western end of the island, including St Elizabeth and Westmoreland. In projects his company is completing in the west, Campbell noted that houses with concrete slab roofs remained intact while lighter structures lost theirs.

"They're heavier, so the wind can't lift them off as easily," he told THE STAR. For him, slab construction is no longer an aesthetic choice, it is survival. Those lessons, he added, extend beyond materials. Roof geometry itself can determine whether a home stands or fails.

"Even if you're using ceramic tiles or lighter finishes, the four-pyramid design, what engineers call a hip roof, helps the structure resist wind pressure. The wind doesn't catch one side; it moves around the roof," he said.

HIP ROOFING

Hip roof is a roofing design where all four sides slope downward from the peak to the walls. This style, which is widely used in hurricane zones, disperses wind across four slopes instead of two, reducing uplift. Campbell said the challenge now is finding ways to make stronger designs practical for ordinary families, so that safety does not depend on income.

"The way you build the roof to break up the wind is very important," he said. "But these methods can be costly, and most people just can't afford to build like that right now." Much of the housing destroyed in the west, he explained, was built decades ago without hurricane straps, sealed joints or reinforced foundations.

"That's no fault of the residents," he said. Campbell opined that many existing homes can still be strengthened, provided the work is guided by proper engineering.

"Retrofitting means reinforcing the columns and beams, not just patching what broke," he said. "The materials we already use can work. It's about how they're built."

Before the storm, some residents tied down roofs with straps or blocks to keep them from lifting. Campbell cautioned against that practice.

"I know why people do it, but that can be dangerous," he said. "Use hurricane straps. In high-pressure wind, anything loose can become a projectile." Campbell urged Jamaicans to accept "our new climate reality".

"Every year these storms are stronger and less predictable. The only sustainable response is to build smarter, more concrete, better roof design, proper wind anchoring. It's about making sure the next generation grows up in homes that last," he said.