What the nation needs to hear now is not a list of excuses, but a clear, actionable plan for disaster shelters going forward. Each hurricane season exposes the same weakness in our national preparedness: the overreliance on schools as emergency shelters. This approach is no longer sustainable—and more importantly, it is unjust.

When schools are converted into shelters, education becomes collateral damage. Children—especially those from vulnerable communities—are forced out of classrooms for extended periods, not because of damage to infrastructure, but because the system has failed to plan beyond the most convenient option. In effect, poor people’s children become the secondary victims of disasters, their futures disrupted in ways that are both predictable and preventable.

We must confront a hard truth: schools cannot continue to serve dual roles without consequence. Education is not a luxury to be paused; it is a right that must be protected, even in times of crisis. If we accept prolonged school closures as inevitable, we are normalising inequality and reinforcing cycles of disadvantage.

What is required now is leadership grounded in critical thinking, foresight, and the courage to break from outdated models. Jamaica needs a modern, resilient disaster shelter strategy—one that includes purpose-built facilities designed to withstand extreme weather while preserving the continuity of education. This is not an unrealistic ambition; it is a necessary evolution.

Such a strategy could involve retrofitting community centres, investing in modular or mobile shelter units, and forming public-private partnerships to expand capacity. It also demands proper maintenance, staffing, and logistical planning to ensure these shelters are ready when needed—not hastily assembled in the face of an approaching storm.

Disaster preparedness should not create new crises. It should reduce vulnerability across all sectors of society. Right now, the burden is falling disproportionately on those least able to bear it.

This hurricane has done more than damage property—it has exposed a gap in vision. The question is whether our leaders will respond with the urgency and innovation required, or whether we will once again rebuild the same broken system.

Jamaica deserves better. Our children deserve better. And the time to act is now.