29 October 2025
By Publisher Ray Carmen
Hurricane Melissa made catastrophic landfall in Jamaica in late October 2025 with 185 mph winds, torrential rains, and storm surges, causing unprecedented damage to infrastructure and displacing families. The region, still recovering from a previous hurricane, faces significant challenges but the Jamaican people are showing resilience and mutual support in the rebuilding process.
Heavy floodwaters have swept across southwestern Jamaica, winds tore roofs off buildings, and boulders tumbled onto roads as Hurricane Melissa came ashore.
Landslides, fallen trees and numerous power outages were reported as Melissa came ashore near New Hope, with officials cautioning that the cleanup and damage assessment could be slow. The storm is expected to slice diagonally across the island and head toward Cuba, where intermittent rains were falling.
Colin Bogle, a Mercy Corps adviser based near Kingston, said most families are sheltering in place despite the government ordering evacuations in flood-prone communities. He was sheltering with his grandmother in Portmore, where everything went dark earlier in the day after a loud explosion.
“The noise is relentless,” he said. “People are anxious and just trying to hold on until the storm passes.”
Massive wind damage is expected in Melissa’s core and Jamaica’s highest mountains could see gusts of up to 200 mph (322 km/h), said Michael Brennan, director of the US National Hurricane Center in Miami.
“It’s going to be a very dangerous scenario,” he said, warning that there would be “total building failures”.
