The scale of devastation caused by Hurricane Melissa became increasingly clear after the record-breaking storm tore through Jamaica, Haiti, and Cuba, leaving at least 33 people dead and inflicting nearly $8 billion in damage across the Caribbean.
The Category 5 hurricane — the strongest ever to strike Jamaica — unleashed catastrophic winds and torrential rain, flattening homes, flooding streets, cutting off electricity, and leaving tens of thousands stranded. Airports in Jamaica were forced to shut down, trapping around 25,000 tourists on the island, while authorities issued warnings about crocodiles displaced by floodwaters.
According to Chuck Watson, a disaster modeler at Enki Research, the economic losses in Jamaica alone could reach $7.7 billion, roughly 35% of the island’s GDP. “It was widespread destruction,” Watson said, noting that the toll exceeded that of Hurricane Gilbert in 1988, which caused $6 billion in losses. “This was a very slow, very wet storm,” he added. “A faster-moving one would have caused far less damage.”
At its peak, Melissa’s winds reached 105 miles (155 kilometers) per hour, according to the U.S. National Hurricane Center (NHC). Now downgraded to a Category 1 storm, Melissa is expected to weaken further as it moves across cooler waters in the North Atlantic by Friday. However, forecasters warn it could regain some strength while passing northwest of Bermuda.
“It’s still going to cause fairly significant damage,” said Adam Douty, senior forecaster at AccuWeather, referring to the storm’s potential impact on the Bahamas.
Humanitarian Crisis Unfolds
The storm’s aftermath has been especially grim in Haiti, where at least 25 people have died and 18 are missing, according to the country’s Civil Protection Agency. The majority of the deaths occurred in a southern coastal town where floodwaters collapsed dozens of homes. Jamaica has reported at least eight deaths, though officials fear the toll may rise.
Despite the chaos, officials confirmed that all international tourists in Jamaica are safe and accounted for, according to the New York Times. U.S. State Department officials said about 8,200 American citizens are registered in Jamaica and neighboring countries affected by the storm.
Melissa made landfall in Jamaica on Tuesday as a Category 5 hurricane, devastating the island’s infrastructure. Nearly 80% of the country was plunged into darkness, with widespread power outages and hospital systems overwhelmed.
“Our shelters have seen more than 25,000 Jamaicans, and more continue to arrive,” said Desmond McKenzie, Jamaica’s Minister of Local Government and Rural Development. “It’s not going to be an easy road for Jamaica.”
In Montego Bay, the island’s northern tourist hub, roofs were torn from buildings, streets were inundated, and Sangster International Airport, Jamaica’s largest, was partially flooded. Airport authorities in Montego Bay and Kingston said they were working urgently to reopen runways for humanitarian flights.
Amid the chaos, there was one hopeful moment — a baby was safely delivered under emergency conditions, McKenzie said. “There is a Melissa baby,” he added, commending the medical team that helped with the delivery.
Global Aid and Response
International aid efforts are rapidly mobilizing. The U.S. government has pledged humanitarian assistance to Jamaica, with a regional disaster response team en route to affected areas in Jamaica, the Bahamas, and Haiti. Personnel are expected to arrive in the Dominican Republic by Thursday afternoon to coordinate logistics and assess the need for food, water, and shelter.
U.S. Southern Command is preparing to deploy a situational assessment team, said Colonel Emanuel Ortiz, to evaluate local conditions and guide further American support.
Meanwhile, Jamaica’s Office of Disaster Preparedness and Emergency Management (ODPEM) has launched an urgent appeal for supplies, including 100,000 mattresses, 100,000 pillows, and 5,000 chainsaws to clear debris.
To help restore connectivity, Elon Musk’s Starlink has begun providing satellite internet assistance, reconnecting parts of Jamaica cut off from communication networks.
The United Kingdom also stepped up, with Prime Minister Keir Starmer telling Parliament that a Royal Navy ship and rapid-response teams had been pre-positioned before the storm. “The scenes of destruction emerging from Jamaica are truly shocking,” Starmer said, pledging the UK’s “full support” for recovery efforts.
Insurance and Economic Fallout
According to Firas Saleh, Director of Insurance Solutions at Moody’s, insurance coverage in Jamaica is unevenly distributed. While hotels and large resorts are typically insured, less than 10% of single-family homes carry any form of coverage. “These gaps leave many households and businesses vulnerable to severe financial and social disruption,” Saleh said.
Despite the destruction, AccuWeather’s Douty noted that Jamaica narrowly avoided an even greater catastrophe: “The island was spared an absolute worst-case scenario by missing a direct hit on Kingston.”