Jamaica's Prime Minister, Andrew Holness, has announced that the country will transition from recovery to reconstruction following a record-setting Hurricane Melissa four months ago. The storm, which killed 45 people and damaged tens of thousands of homes, damaged or destroyed critical infrastructure, including roads and the power grid, left an estimated 1.6 million people across six parishes. Preliminary estimates put the losses to infrastructure at $8.8 billion, about 40% of the country's 2024 gross domestic product. Despite significant progress in recovery efforts, housing remains a significant challenge. The National Hurricane Center confirmed that Melissa registered sustained winds of 190 mph, tying Hurricane Allen's 1980 record for the strongest winds ever measured in an Atlantic hurricane.