Jamaica Brought to Its Knees: Hurricane Melissa Leaves Trail of Destruction; 15,000 in Shelters

The hum of generators and the cries of people are the only things that broke the silence on Tuesday night. Hurricane Melissa didn’t just tear through Jamaica — it tore through lives. With homes flattened, hospitals flooded, and nearly 15,000 people still in shelters, the island is left picking up the pieces of one of its most devastating natural disasters in recent memory.

According to Minister of Local Government and Community Development, Desmond McKenzie, shelters across the island will remain open “for as long as necessary,” as communities struggle to recover from the destruction. The Category 5 hurricane unleashed torrential rains and winds that toppled power lines, washed away bridges, and turned quiet rural towns into rivers of mud. Over 530,000 customers — roughly 77% of the Jamaica Public Service (JPS) network — remain without electricity, plunging much of the island into darkness for the third consecutive night.

A flooded street in Kingston near the Tower Street Correctional facility (Photo Credit: Rudolph Brown/EPA)

Hospitals have not been spared. Falmouth Hospital was battered by storm surge, while Noel Holmes and Cornwall Regional Hospitals in the west suffered severe flooding and wind damage. In St. Elizabeth, the Black River Hospital was left without power, forcing the emergency relocation of 75 patients. Health Minister Dr. Christopher Tufton confirmed that assessment teams are working around the clock to evaluate the full extent of infrastructural damage across all medical facilities.

Fishermen move a boat to higher ground, in preparation of Hurricane Melissa, in Port Royal, Jamaica, October 26, 2025. REUTERS/Octavio Jones

Meanwhile, the Office of Disaster Preparedness and Emergency Management (ODPEM) reports widespread devastation across nearly every parish — from blocked roads and fallen trees to collapsed homes and impassable bridges. The National Works Agency (NWA) has since begun the painstaking task of clearing major routes and restoring access to cut-off communities.

For now, the island sits in eerie silence — no music, no nightlife, no laughter — only the constant hum of generators echoing across darkened towns. Yet, even in the face of heartbreak, Jamaica’s spirit remains unbroken. As one resident in Trelawny put it: “We lose house, we lose things, but we never lose hope.”

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