Hurricane Melissa

The residents of Jamaica, and other Caribbean islands,  are dealing with the deaths and damages made by Hurricane Melissa which hit the island on October 28th, 2025. Hurricane Melissa is one of the top three worst hurricanes in documented history. 

The category 5 hurricane has taken the lives of 75 people nationwide as of November 5th. Authorities say they expect the death toll to rise once they are able to reach areas that were hit the worst. 43 deaths have been confirmed in Haiti which includes children, 32 in Jamaica, and at least 2 in the Dominican Republic. 

After Melissa swept through residents say the flood waters started pouring into neighborhoods and kept rising throughout the week. According to residents the flood waters are infested with the dead including animals. A large sinkhole opened up under a residential street in Jamaica just days after Hurricane Melissa. This sink hole created extensive damage and heavy flooding on the island. 

“There are parts of my town that I cannot recognize. There are roads that are no longer roads. So many people have lost their houses, so many people have lost motor vehicles, animals, businesses have been destroyed, roofs have just taken off,” an attorney-at-law and resident of Santa Cruz, Jamaica Yushaine Morgan said.

Damage estimates in Jamaica alone range from $6 billion to $7.7 billion, equivalent to nearly one-third of the country's GDP. Over 120,000 structures had roofs ripped off, and many homes were destroyed. The town of Black River was described as "totally destroyed," with 80-90% of all structures losing their roofs. Important facilities like hospitals, police stations, and historic buildings were also damaged or destroyed. Most of the island lost power, with 72% of the country without electricity immediately after the storm. Telecommunication services were also disrupted. 

"We are making progress every day in restoring power, telecommunications, water, clearing roads and delivering aid,” Director General of Jamaica's Emergency Management office Alvin Gayle said.

Right after the hurricane there wasn’t much talk about the damage caused and since it has dissipated, news coverage has moved on to other topics, but the people who experienced the trauma of this hurricane haven’t gotten much acknowledgement. 

“I don’t know much about this hurricane because they aren’t really talking about this hurricane at all and yes, if I had family there I would be upset. I have been to Jamaica before and the people there are so nice. It’s absolutely a beautiful island and the food is unbelievable. I do know some people from Jamaica so yes, I would be very concerned that the only information they are getting is being in contact with family members and most of them can not even contact their family members,” NHS Biology teacher Jeanette Roderick said.

During Hurricane Melissa, residents of Jamaica filmed TikToks and made light of the situation. Most of these videos were either described as funny or dangerous.

“I know that everyone in Jamaica is making the hurricane a joke. I don’t want to say it’s funny, that’s so mean but it seems like everyone seems to be having a good time after watching all the TikToks that were made. There was one video I saw that showed a guy singing in between trees that were blowing all over him and it was extremely windy which was so funny to me,” NHS freshman Leila Waller said. 

Jamaican authorities say it is all hands on deck as the search continues. Rescue crews are trying to reach communities that do not have food, water or essential supplies. World Central Kitchen is working with local chefs and restaurant partners in Jamaica to prepare and deliver thousands of hot, culturally appropriate meals to displaced families, including door to door deliveries for those unable to reach distribution sites. The UN World Food Programme is airlifting emergency food kits with plans to assist up to 200,000 people. In Cuba and Haiti, WFP has provided anticipatory cash transfers and is conducting food distributions, aiming to reach nearly 1.1 million people across the region.

Samaritan's Purse has established an Emergency Field Hospital in Black River, Jamaica, and is providing shelter materials, hygiene kits, and medical supplies via multiple airlift operations. The US army has sent three helicopters on Friday and expects to send another five choppers in the coming days for the humanitarian and disaster relief efforts.