Black River Businesses Stall Amid Slow Post-Hurricane Recovery

Eight months after Hurricane Melissa devastated Black River, St. Elizabeth, business owners are expressing deep concern over the slow pace of recovery and the lack of clear communication from the government. Kadian Myers Brown, president of the Black River Chamber of Commerce, described a "lull" in the town, noting a stark absence of tangible progress on the resilience initiatives promised by the authorities.

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There’s a lull in Black River. I wouldn’t say that there isn’t anything that’s going on, but what we would have expected, seven months now, going on eight months after the storm, there is nothing to really talk about in terms of this new resilience that we hear them [the Government] speaking about.

Speaking at a Jamaica Observer Monday Exchange, Myers Brown highlighted the struggles of numerous entrepreneurs who lost their livelihoods. She stated that only about 15 to 20 percent of businesses have managed to restart, primarily small supermarkets, while most vendors remain scattered without organized market spaces. Myers Brown criticized the lack of strategic movement from the municipal corporation, leaving the once-vibrant economic hub in a state of struggle.

The government's stated intention is to rebuild Black River as a climate-resilient town, not merely restore it to its pre-hurricane condition. Prime Minister Dr. Andrew Holness outlined plans in March for a new inland urban center with key public services, alongside enhanced coastal defenses, a redesigned waterfront, and improved tourism infrastructure.

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There is nothing that is happening in this space. With respect to a few business owners, family-run business owners, who are able to pull back and re-energise their businesses, we’re talking maybe about less than 20 per cent, maybe about 15 per cent, and mostly what you have seen is just about four or three to four supermarkets. Mostly what we’re seeing are the vendors just scattered about, no real planning, no town planning as it relates to a structured market for them to vend, nothing like that.

However, a recent survey by the St. Elizabeth Homecoming Foundation revealed a grim reality for local businesses. The Black River Business Survey Report indicated an 87 percent decrease in employment and income among businesses employing fewer than 10 people. The slow implementation of recovery plans leaves many business owners uncertain about the town's economic future.

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So from a governance standpoint, with respect to the municipal corporation, there is no strategic movement that we see going on there, and nothing vibrant happening for the economy of Black River.