Kishan Khoday, Resident Representative for the UN Development Programme (UNDP), told journalists at UN Headquarters in New York via video conference that initial estimates of the damage added up to 30 per cent of Gross Domestic Product: “a figure that’s expected to rise.” UNDP estimates that nearly five million metric tonnes of debris have been generated across western Jamaica following the devastating category 5 storm last week – equivalent to roughly 500,000 standard truckloads.

On October 28, Jamaica was struck by a weapon of mass destruction (WMD) - the massive Category 5 Hurricane Melissa.

Our dear friends Trev and Kim, along with their two children — 8-year-old Kemmoya… Nate Dress needs your support for Help Trev and Kim Rebuild After Hurricane

Coffee beans rot in field as roads remain inaccessible post-Melissa

“We cannot forget Haiti,” said Lola Castro, speaking from the capital, Port-au-Prince, while also appealing for Jamaica, Cuba and the Dominican Republic. More than 80 people were killed and roughly six million were affected by the category 5 hurricane – among the most intense in the Atlantic on record. The senior humanitarian placed particular emphasis on Haiti, which is already grappling with challenges including gang violence, mostly in the capital, and food insecurity. 

People with rooftop solar panels got their power back almost immediately. The ‘entire neighborhood benefits,’ one resident said.

Hurricane Melissa’s vastly different human and infrastructural impact between eastern and western Jamaica has continued into the early recovery stages. There is another, far less obvious, disaster div...

The 2025 hurricane season exemplifies the impacts of climate change, featuring an average number of storms but an alarming increase in the intensity of hurricanes. Notably, Hurricane Melissa reached Category 5 status, highlighting the connection between rising ocean temperatures and storm severity.

by Farah Nibbs, University of Maryland, Baltimore County, [This article first appeared in The Conversation, republished with permission] Headlines have been filled with talk of the catastrophic power of Hurricane... The post No time to recover: Hurricane Melissa and the Caribbean’s compounding disaster trap as the storms keep coming appeared first on Cobb Courier.

YouTube video by Jamaica Gleaner