Five days after Hurricane Melissa made landfall in Jamaica as an extreme Category 5 system, the Government confirmed 28 fatalities on Saturday 1 November. Access to several western communities remains limited by blocked roads, damaged bridges and intermittent communications. The US National Hurricane Center recorded sustained winds of 185 mph and a minimum central pressure of 892 mb at landfall on Tuesday 28 October.
The storm came ashore near New Hope on the border of St Elizabeth and Westmoreland before tracking north across the island. St Elizabeth’s coastal town of Black River has reported severe structural damage, with officials estimating up to 90 percent of roofs compromised, while communities such as Whitehouse in Westmoreland continue to report delays in assistance as road access is gradually restored.
Jamaica’s emergency command architecture has been fully active since the weekend before landfall. The Office of Disaster Preparedness and Emergency Management placed the National Emergency Operations Centre at Level 3 – full response – with all parish emergency operations centres opened. After landfall, the Prime Minister declared the entire island a disaster area under the Disaster Risk Management Act to enable emergency powers and streamlined logistics.
Utilities remain under strain. At peak on 29 October, more than 500,000 Jamaica Public Service customers – over 70 percent of the base – lost electricity; by Saturday 1 November, more than 60 percent of the island still lacked power, and nearly half of water systems were reported offline in the worst‑affected areas. The power utility has said sections of the grid will require partial rebuilds.
Telecommunications have been partially stabilised using satellite back‑up. Flow Jamaica activated emergency mobile messaging through Starlink Direct‑to‑Cell for a large share of customers, and the Jamaica Constabulary Force has begun deploying Starlink terminals to St Elizabeth, Trelawny, Westmoreland, Hanover and St James to restore basic connectivity for responders and residents.
Relief operations are scaling up. The United Kingdom has announced £2.5 million in humanitarian funding with technical teams and pre‑positioned supplies in the region, while a US disaster team including search‑and‑rescue specialists has deployed to support government‑led efforts. UNICEF has allocated US$1 million for immediate child‑focused needs and is working with authorities on rapid assessments.
Health and local services in hard‑hit parishes are operating with constraints. The Westmoreland Health Department and several clinics report roof and water damage that has reduced capacity, as public health teams prioritise essential services and cold‑chain protection where power is intermittent.
Public finance buffers have been activated. CCRIF SPC confirmed a record US$70.8 million parametric payout to Jamaica under its tropical cyclone policy, with funds expected within 14 days. The World Bank has signalled quick‑disbursing support and noted the likelihood of a payout from Jamaica’s World Bank‑arranged catastrophe bond; market participants also expect a trigger under that bond depending on final storm parameters.
Pre‑impact mitigation steps are informing the clearance phase. The National Works Agency was pre‑positioned to clear priority corridors and drains; ODPEM has established logistics cells to speed port clearance and movement of relief items alongside the Jamaica Defence Force. These measures are now focused on opening western road links and restoring access to medical facilities and distribution points.
Policy Wire analysis: the next two weeks hinge on three tasks – restoring trunk power and water to urban hubs in the west, opening inland routes from Black River and Whitehouse to parish capitals, and getting roofing kits and tarpaulins into coastal communities where roof failure was widespread. CCRIF funds, which typically arrive within 14 days, are well‑suited to rapid, rules‑based purchases such as water trucking, emergency repairs and temporary shelter materials.
Attention will also turn to reconstruction standards. Jamaica’s Building Act 2018 and the Jamaica National Building Code (based on the 2018 International Building Code) set out modern wind‑load and detailing requirements, but much of the housing stock predates these standards. Roofing connections, gable‑end bracing and coastal siting will be central to rebuild decisions in St Elizabeth and Westmoreland.
For agriculture and fisheries – key employers in the southwest – early reports point to heavy crop losses and damaged landing sites, affecting cashflow for small producers. Relief programmes and any social‑protection top‑ups funded by quick insurance receipts will be critical to stabilise incomes while ports and markets reopen.