Jamaica is reeling after Hurricane Melissa, the strongest storm in its modern history, tore across the island on Tuesday, leaving catastrophic destruction in its wake.
About three-quarters of the island remains without electricity, and large parts of western Jamaica are under water. Homes, hospitals, and schools have been destroyed, while communication lines are down, leaving the full scale of damage unknown.
Prime Minister Andrew Holness has declared the entire island a disaster area, warning of “devastating impacts” and “significant damage” to communities and infrastructure.
The Category 5 storm packed sustained winds of 298 km/h (185 mph), stronger than Hurricane Katrina, and uprooted trees, flattened houses, and submerged entire towns. Montego Bay’s mayor, Richard Vernon, said his first task at daybreak was “to check if everybody is alive.”
In the hardest-hit parish of St Elizabeth, known as Jamaica’s breadbasket, floodwaters have destroyed crops and trapped families in their homes. “Rescue teams are struggling to reach them because of the dangerous conditions,” said Local Government Minister Desmond McKenzie.
Many residents described the hurricane as “apocalyptic.” One farmer, 73-year-old Verna Genus, lost her roof as she sheltered with her family. “You look up and the roof is gone,” her sister told the BBC.
The country’s vital tourism hub, Montego Bay, has been split in two by flooding. “One side of the city is now cut off from the other,” Mayor Vernon said.
Meteorologists say Hurricane Melissa’s rapid intensification was fueled by unusually warm Caribbean waters, a worrying sign of climate change’s growing impact.
The storm has since moved on to Cuba as a Category 3 hurricane, but Jamaica remains devastated and silent, its people facing a long road to recovery.
