Relief efforts spread across Jamaica after Hurricane Melissa
Rescuers and aid teams fanned out across Jamaica on Saturday to deliver food, water and medical supplies to communities still isolated four days after Hurricane Melissa made landfall. One of the strongest Atlantic storms to hit the region, Melissa struck southwest Jamaica on Tuesday as a Category 5 hurricane with peak winds of 185 mph.
The storm has been blamed for at least 19 deaths in Jamaica, 31 in Haiti and at least one in the Dominican Republic. Health Minister Christopher Tufton warned the toll in Jamaica could be higher because many areas remain hard to access, but cautioned against premature speculation while assessments continue.
Communications are severely disrupted: less than half the island has phone or internet service, and nearly 400 water systems were knocked out. More than 60% of the island remained without power, hampering relief coordination and complicating efforts to deliver aid.
The U.S. Army deployed three CH-47 Chinook helicopters to Jamaica on Friday for humanitarian missions, with five more helicopters reported en route. Agence-France Presse and Jamaican officials said plans are underway to establish multiple field hospitals after several hospitals in western parishes were heavily damaged. Tufton said one field hospital would be fully equipped, including an operating theatre and diagnostic equipment, and could be operational within a week.
Desperate scenes were reported in Montego Bay, where residents lined up for food, water and cash. The Florida-based nonprofit Gray Bull Rescue Foundation evacuated 341 American citizens from two badly hit Montego Bay resorts. Essential supplies are now reaching previously cut-off parishes, including St. Elizabeth and Westmoreland, although many roads remain blocked by fallen trees and concrete posts.
In some communities, residents have had to scoop muddy river water into buckets or rely on coconut water and roasted breadfruit. Westmoreland's coastline was left littered with mangled metal roofing, splintered wooden frames and household debris. Thousands of families suffered roof loss and structural damage.
The Jamaica Defence Force set up a satellite relief site at the Luana community centre near Black River, where care packages containing rice, beans, canned fish, powdered milk, cooking oil and hygiene items have been distributed. Social Security Minister Pearnel Charles Jr. joined convoys delivering tarpaulins, blankets, medicine and ready-to-eat meals. Prime Minister Andrew Holness declared Black River a priority area and said the town will need to be rebuilt.
Satellite images showed dramatic before-and-after views of the fishing village of White House and the nearby town of Black River, with once-vibrant areas reduced to rubble. Helicopters have been used to drop food to communities cut off by wreckage, and many residents have walked miles to check on relatives or collect basic supplies.
"The priority now is to get help to those who need it," said Pearnel Charles Jr. "Everyone is homeless right now," said Rosemarie Gayle, a resident who received an aid package.
International assistance is arriving: the United Nations World Food Programme received 2,000 boxes of emergency food from Barbados—enough to help about 6,000 people for one week in the most affected shelters and communities. The Caribbean Catastrophe Risk Insurance Facility announced a record payout of $70.8 million to Jamaica, to be disbursed within 14 days. A U.S. regional disaster assistance response team was also activated and deployed to support response efforts.
Authorities warned of secondary health risks, including increased mosquitoes, waterborne diseases and food poisoning, urging residents to discard spoiled food and take precautions. Officials say damage assessments are ongoing and rebuilding plans will follow once access improves and needs are quantified.
Immediate needs
- Clean water and restored water systems
- Tarpaulins and shelter materials
- Canned protein and ready-to-eat meals
- Medical supplies and mobile/field hospitals
- Restoration of power and telecommunications
