Nearly a week after Hurricane Melissa made landfall, Jamaica is mobilizing government agencies, volunteers and makeshift distribution centers to aid communities devastated by the storm. Information Minister Dana Morris Dixon said the known death toll in Jamaica is 32 and may rise; across the Caribbean the toll tops 60. Residents in hard-hit Westmoreland are pleading for food, water and toiletries while roughly 25 communities remain cut off, with some now receiving helicopter-dropped supplies. Relief efforts continue as officials and volunteers prioritize immediate needs and longer-term recovery.
Jamaica Rallies Volunteers and Aid After Hurricane Melissa; Death Toll Reaches 32
Nearly a week after Hurricane Melissa made landfall, Jamaica is mobilizing government agencies, volunteers and makeshift distribution centers to aid communities devastated by the storm. Information Minister Dana Morris Dixon said the known death toll in Jamaica is 32 and may rise; across the Caribbean the toll tops 60. Residents in hard-hit Westmoreland are pleading for food, water and toiletries while roughly 25 communities remain cut off, with some now receiving helicopter-dropped supplies. Relief efforts continue as officials and volunteers prioritize immediate needs and longer-term recovery.
08:21, 04.11.2025Society
Nearly a week after Melissa, Jamaica mobilizes to aid the hardest-hit communities
Nearly one week after Hurricane Melissa struck Jamaica as one of the most powerful storms recorded on the island, local authorities, volunteers and ad hoc distribution centers are scrambling to assist residents left homeless or without essentials. Officials say the known death toll in Jamaica has reached 32 people, a figure that could rise as search and relief teams reach more isolated areas. Across the wider Caribbean, the combined toll now exceeds 60 lives.
Information Minister Dana Morris Dixon told reporters that teams continue to work around the clock to assess damage and deliver supplies. Jamaican Labour Minister Pearnel Charles Jr. said that roughly 25 communities remained cut off from ground access on Monday, although some remote settlements have begun to receive aid by helicopter.
In Westmoreland, one of the parishes hardest hit by the storm, residents lined up at improvised distribution points for food, bottled water and toiletries. Volunteers unloaded trucks carrying cases of water, boxes of nonperishable food and rolls of toilet paper to hand out to families awaiting help.
"We need every help we can get. So we need food, water, toiletries," said Tackeisha Frazer, a Westmoreland resident, describing the urgent needs of displaced families.
Volunteer Millicent McCurdy appealed to the international community for assistance: "Anyone overseas who can help these people — they are homeless, they don't have clothing, food or water. They need help." Shopkeeper Diana Mullings described the devastation she witnessed: "It's a very terrible sight. Every board structure is gone — everything, everything, even some concrete shops."
Relief coordinators are prioritizing the most vulnerable areas for helicopter drops and temporary shelter, while assessing longer-term needs such as rebuilding homes and restoring infrastructure. Local NGOs and community groups continue to organise volunteer efforts and resource distribution as officials call for donations of food, clean water, clothing and hygiene supplies.
What you can do: Authorities encourage those wishing to help to donate through reputable local and international relief organizations coordinating on-the-ground response to ensure aid reaches the affected communities quickly and safely.