UN says Hurricane Melissa left historic damage trail across Jamaica

Fifty days after Hurricane Melissa tore through Jamaica, the country is still grappling with what the United Nations has described as an unprecedented level of destruction, with damage and losses estimated between $8 billion and $15 billion — nearly a quarter of the nation’s gross domestic product.

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Dennis Zulu, the UN Resident Coordinator for Jamaica, The Bahamas, Bermuda, the Cayman Islands, and Turks and Caicos, said the scale of the devastation has had a profound human and economic impact. The category-five hurricane affected more than 626,000 people and claimed 45 lives.

Despite steady progress in recovery efforts, 90 emergency shelters remain operational, housing nearly 950 people who are still unable to return to their homes.

Zulu reported that entire communities remain exposed, with at least 120,000 buildings — most of them located in southwestern Jamaica — having lost their roofs. He added that Hurricane Melissa caused “prolonged” and “cascading” disruptions to essential services.

“Western parishes were left without electricity for weeks on end,” he said.

The education sector has also been severely affected, with many children still unable to return to school. Approximately 450 schools, representing nearly two-thirds of all educational institutions nationwide, have reported significant damage, including roof loss, structural failure and other major impacts.

The tourism and agriculture sectors — long considered pillars of Jamaica’s economy and major sources of employment — have also suffered extensive damage, placing thousands of jobs and livelihoods at risk and compounding the country’s recovery challenges.

“This scale of destruction has not only been unprecedented, but it has also really reversed hard-won development gains in a country that was firmly on a positive social and economic trajectory,” Zulu said.

He noted that, despite the challenges, the United Nations continues to work closely with the Government of Jamaica, national institutions, civil society organisations and international partners to deliver life-saving assistance to the most vulnerable communities.

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The UN outlined several immediate recovery priorities, including restoring health services to safe and fully functional levels, supporting the education sector as schools prepare to reopen, and assisting communities that remain without access to essential services.

Other priorities include contributing to the repair and reconstruction of homes, roads and critical infrastructure; restoring livelihoods through targeted support to small farmers, fishers and micro and small enterprises; strengthening the agriculture sector to improve food production, food security and rural employment; and supporting the tourism sector as a key employer and source of foreign exchange.

The UN also stressed the importance of ensuring that recovery efforts are inclusive, climate-resilient and risk-informed, allowing Jamaica to rebuild stronger and better than before.