Hurricane Melissa, one of the most powerful Atlantic storms in recent history, left a devastating trail across the Caribbean this week, battering Jamaica, Haiti, and Cuba with record-breaking winds, catastrophic flooding, and widespread destruction. The storm, which made landfall in Jamaica as a Category 5 hurricane on Tuesday, October 28, 2025, with sustained winds of 185 mph (295 kph), has resulted in dozens of deaths and displaced hundreds of thousands across the region, according to reports from the Associated Press and other major outlets.
In Jamaica, the impact was immediate and severe. Roofless homes, toppled utility poles, and water-logged furniture dominated the landscape, with streets transformed into muddy rivers and landslides blocking key roads. The main roads of Santa Cruz in St. Elizabeth parish were rendered impassable, isolating communities and hampering rescue efforts. Residents, like Jennifer Small, expressed disbelief at the scale of the disaster. “I never see anything like this before in all my years living here,” she told AP reporters, echoing the shock felt across the island.
Prime Minister Andrew Holness declared a disaster area late Tuesday, acknowledging the unprecedented scope of the crisis. "The reports that we have had so far would include damage to hospitals, significant damage to residential property, housing and commercial property as well, and damage to our road infrastructure," Holness said in an interview with CNN. He emphasized that the government was fully mobilized for recovery, stating, “Relief supplies are being prepared, and we are doing everything possible to restore normalcy quickly.” Yet, the prime minister cautioned that recovery would take time, given the magnitude of the destruction.
The numbers paint a grim picture. More than 25,000 Jamaicans were packed into shelters as of Wednesday, October 29, 2025, after the hurricane ripped roofs from homes and left families homeless. The Jamaica Observer reported that over 77% of the island was without power late Tuesday, as the Jamaica Public Service Company struggled to restore electricity amid the devastation. Communication blackouts complicated efforts to assess the full extent of the damage, with Richard Thompson, acting director general of Jamaica’s Office of Disaster Preparedness and Emergency Management, describing the situation as a “total communication blackout” in several areas.
Tragically, at least eight people have died in Jamaica, including a 35-year-old and a 64-year-old man, with four bodies found in the southwest and one infant killed by a falling tree, according to state minister Abka Fitz-Henley. The Black River Hospital, a critical facility in the southwest, was inundated by floodwaters and suffered power outages, forcing the evacuation of 75 patients to safety. Mayor Richard Solomon of Black River described the situation as “catastrophic,” noting that local rescue infrastructure was demolished and emergency services were unable to operate.
Jamaica’s transportation minister, Daryl Vaz, announced that two of the island’s airports would reopen to relief flights only, as U.N. agencies and dozens of nonprofits stood by to distribute basic goods. “The devastation is enormous,” Vaz said, calling for all hands on deck to aid recovery and support those in need.
Hurricane Melissa’s fury did not end with Jamaica. The storm barreled westward, striking Haiti with deadly force. In the southern town of Petit-Goâve, the La Digue River burst its banks, unleashing flash floods that collapsed dozens of homes and buried some victims under rubble. At least 25 people were reported dead in Haiti, with 18 missing as of Wednesday, October 29, 2025, according to Haiti’s Civil Protection Agency. Of the 20 dead in Petit-Goâve, 10 were children. The town’s mayor, Jean Bertrand Subrème, was “overwhelmed by the situation” and pleaded for government intervention, as reported by the AP.
Lawyer Charly Saint-Vil, a resident of Petit-Goâve, described the aftermath in stark terms. “People have lost everything,” he said, recounting how bodies lay among the debris and neighbors searched frantically for missing children. With political instability compounding the crisis, Saint-Vil expressed deep uncertainty about the days ahead: “We don’t know what will happen tomorrow or the day after tomorrow.” For now, he is sheltering friends who lost their homes, but acknowledged, “It’s not easy because the situation is really complicated for everyone.”
As Melissa moved on, Cuba braced for impact. The hurricane made landfall in the eastern province of Santiago de Cuba as a Category 3 storm, having weakened slightly but still packing a formidable punch. Officials reported collapsed houses, blocked mountain roads, and roofs torn from buildings on Wednesday, October 29, 2025. The heaviest destruction was concentrated in the southwest and northwest, with about 735,000 people forced into shelters, according to AP.
Images from local media showed the Juan Bruno Zayas Clinical Hospital in ruins, with glass strewn across floors and masonry walls crumpled. Alexis Ramos, a fisherman in Santiago de Cuba, summed up the mood: “Life is what matters. Repairing this costs money, a lot of money.” President Miguel Díaz-Canel pledged swift recovery efforts, writing on X, “As soon as conditions allow, we will begin the recovery. We are ready.”
Cuba’s National Institute of Hydraulic Resources reported staggering rainfall totals: 15 inches (38 centimeters) in Charco Redondo and 14 inches (36 centimeters) in Las Villas Reservoir. The hurricane’s passage has exacerbated Cuba’s ongoing economic crisis, with prolonged power blackouts, fuel shortages, and food scarcity already afflicting the nation.
By Wednesday night, Melissa had weakened to a Category 2 hurricane with sustained winds near 100 mph (155 kph), moving north-northeast at 21 mph (33 kph). The U.S. National Hurricane Center placed the storm about 105 miles (170 kilometers) east-northeast of the central Bahamas and roughly 800 miles (1,285 kilometers) southwest of Bermuda. Authorities in the Bahamas evacuated dozens of residents from the archipelago’s southeast corner in anticipation of dangerous winds, flooding, and storm surge expected overnight into Thursday.
The U.S. played a key role in supporting the region’s response. The Defense Department released dramatic footage from inside Hurricane Melissa, captured by the 53rd Weather Reconnaissance Squadron—the so-called "Hurricane Hunters"—who flew multiple passes through the storm to collect vital weather data for the National Hurricane Center. U.S. Secretary of State Marco Rubio announced that rescue and response teams, along with lifesaving supplies, were being dispatched to the Caribbean. "We have rescue and response teams heading to affected areas along with critical lifesaving supplies," Rubio posted on X, confirming U.S. coordination with the governments of Jamaica, Haiti, the Dominican Republic, and the Bahamas.
The National Hurricane Center urged residents in the storm’s path to remain sheltered until authorities declared it safe, warning that hazards such as fallen power lines and flooded areas could persist even after the storm’s passage.
As the region begins the long road to recovery, the scars left by Hurricane Melissa—shattered homes, grieving families, and battered infrastructure—are a stark reminder of nature’s raw power and the urgent need for coordinated disaster response. For many across Jamaica, Haiti, and Cuba, the question is not just how to rebuild, but how to do so in the face of mounting challenges—economic, political, and environmental—that show no sign of abating.
