Holness, who toured areas affected by heavy rains on Wednesday, said the funds will be taken from the Consolidated Fund.

“The Government has to now go and take a second look at its Budget to see what areas we may have to reallocate, postpone expenditure on, because it is now a priority for people to recover,” he said.

He noted that the assistance “may not be (enough) to restore everyone to their former state, but it will be sufficient to get people back on their feet”.

Some of the communities visited by Holness are located in the central parish of St. Catherine and the northern parish of St. Ann.

The Prime Minister also urging members of the public to show greater consideration in terms of where they build houses.

He said that factors such as susceptibility to flooding, erosion and land slippages must be considered when choosing a location for a home, particularly in light of the increased frequency and intensity of weather events affecting Jamaica in recent years.

He noted that the Government will be more proactive in ensuring that people do not settle in areas that are likely to experience weather-related difficulties.

“The Government has already formed the view, and we will now try to put that into policy, to take a far more proactive approach to how we deal with the settlement of the land and how people choose to live.”

He also said that Government will also be moving to fast-track procedures to implement a master drainage plan for the country.

Meanwhile, clean up operation are underway.

National Works Agency (NWA) Chief Executive Officer E G Hunter said the priority is to restore access to communities.

“Simultaneous with the clearance of the road, we’ll be doing an assessment and then we’ll be doing costing and then we will be prescribing the permanent solution to the challenges which have manifested themselves,” Hunter said.

Another assessment is being undertaken by the Ministry of Labour and Social Security .

Portfolio minister Shahine Robinson said supplies will be airlifted to residents who have been affected in sections of Clarendon.

And the Ministry of Health has reminded the public of the dangers of swimming or wading in water which has resulted from flooding or eating foods that might have been contaminated with animal urine as they may be infected with diseases such as leptospirosis.

Leptospirosis is an infectious disease caused by Leptospira bacteria and is transmitted to humans from domestic animals such as dogs, cattle, pigs and horses as well as rodents.

The disease is not spread from person to person.