Hurricane Melissa devastates Jamaica

Hurricane Melissa struck Jamaica as an exceptionally powerful Category 5 storm, delivering sustained winds of about 185 mph (295–298 km/h) and an unusually low central pressure around 892 mbar, numbers that rank it among the most intense Atlantic cyclones on record. The storm made landfall in western and southwestern parishes, with the eye passing directly over rural areas and leaving widespread devastation: homes, hospitals and commercial buildings were damaged, roads washed out, bridges and infrastructure battered, and entire communities flooded. St. Elizabeth and St. James were among the hardest hit, with reports of bodies recovered from floodwaters and at least three deaths in Jamaica attributed directly to the storm; additional fatalities and damage were reported elsewhere in the Caribbean, including Haiti and the Dominican Republic where the combined toll stands higher.

More than 500,000 residents lost power as Jamaica’s national grid failed under the storm’s force. Despite large-scale preparations—130+ shelters opened and mandatory evacuation orders for vulnerable areas—many people remained in place when Melissa intensified rapidly from a tropical storm to a Category 5 hurricane in a matter of days. Officials described that rapid intensification as driven by very warm sea surface temperatures and weak steering currents, creating conditions for an unusually destructive, slow-moving event that generated extreme winds, storm surge and life-threatening flooding.

The government declared a national state of disaster and evacuated roughly 25,000 people to shelters, while the prime minister toured affected western parishes and shared footage of the devastation. Relief agencies are mobilising for a major humanitarian response, but operations face logistical hurdles from blocked roads, downed power lines and isolated communities. The agriculture sector—especially key breadbasket zones—suffered heavy losses, raising concerns about short- and medium-term food security and economic impacts.

Authorities continue damage assessments; the full scope of destruction to housing, infrastructure and services remains uncertain. Jamaica now confronts urgent humanitarian needs and a protracted recovery and reconstruction challenge, even as Melissa heads toward eastern Cuba and the Bahamas, prompting further evacuations and warnings in those regions. Experts and officials warned the event underscores escalating storm risks under warming conditions and the need to bolster preparedness, resilient infrastructure and emergency response systems.