Wednesday, October 29, 2025 - All of Jamaica has been declared a "disaster area" after the arrival of Hurricane Melissa.
Three people were k!lled before the Category 5 storm made
landfall, but a government minister warned that it is too soon to know if there
are more de@ths.
Melissa is one of the strongest Atlantic hurricanes ever on
record and the strongest to hit the island since recordkeeping started 174
years ago, the US National Hurricane Center said.
The hurricane made landfall on Jamaica’s southern coast just
after midday local time, bringing 185mph winds and persistent rain that led to
massive floods.
Entire towns are now underwater, with critical
infrastructure incinerated, including several hospitals.
Jamaican prime minister Andrew Holness declared the island a
"disaster area" and authorities warned residents to remain sheltered
over continued flooding and landslide risk, as the monstrous weather persisted
even as the hurricane’s worst moved on.
The US National Hurricane Center said: "THIS IS AN
EXTREMELY DANGEROUS AND LIFE-THREATENING SITUATION!"
Michael Brennan, the centre’s director, said officials
expect a "very dangerous scenario" and the winds could soon be as
powerful as 200mph.
The Red Cross predicts that the "storm of the
century" will likely affect 1,500,000 people in Jamaica alone.
Lisa Sangster, a 30-year-old communications specialist in
Kingston, said her home was devastated by the storm.
She said: "My sister… explained that parts of our roof
was blown off and other parts caved in and the entire house was flooded.
"Outside structures like our outdoor kitchen, dog
kennel and farm animal pens were also gone, destroyed."
The scale of the damage is not yet clear: a comprehensive
assessment could take days and much of the island is still without power, with
communications networks badly disrupted.
Jamaica’s climate change minister told CNN that Melissa’s
effect was "catastrophic," citing flooded homes and "severely
damaged public infrastructure" and hospitals.
Mathue Tapper, 31, warned that those in the capital were
lucky but feared for fellow Jamaicans in the island’s more rural
areas.
"My heart goes out to the folks living on the Western
end of the island," he said.
Melissa has since weakened to a Category 4 hurricane
but is still catastrophically strong and spinning over the island at
150mph.
People living in southwestern Jamaica have described the
wind tearing off their roofs and tossing trees, while heavy rains flood their
gardens.
Floodwater is coursing through communities across the south
coast of the island, including in St Elizabeth, Manchester, Westmoreland and St
James.
At least four hospitals have been damaged by the howling
winds, with patients and staff on lower floors being evacuated to higher
up.
All hospitals have entered emergency mode, with outpatient
and elective surgeries suspended and visitations limited, health
officials said.
The roof of St Elizabeth Technical High School in southwest
Jamaica was partially torn off. While Black River, the capital of St
Elizabeth, is "deteriorating by the minute," its mayor
said.
Jamaican weather officials have blanketed the entire country
in red hurricane warnings, active until midnight,
and expect hurricane conditions to lash the island well into
tomorrow.
Melissa is expected to slice diagonally across the island
and enter near St Elizabeth parish in the south before eventually exiting
around St Ann parish in the north.
A life-threatening storm surge of up to 13 feet is also
expected to hit the south of the island.
Trees, boulders, floodwater and even dangling power lines
torn by the wind are blocking roads, including those to more rural, vulnerable
communities.
At least 35% of Jamaican households are without power,
according to the country’s only electrical provider, the Jamaica Public
Service.
More than a quarter of mobile networks are offline,
according to the mobile phone network Digicel, while internet connectivity is
down to just 42%.
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