The level of destruction caused in Jamaica by the passage of Hurricane Melissa “is unprecedented”. This was stated by the UN coordinator for the Caribbean countries, Dennis Zuluin statements relaunched by the local media.
People are in shelters across the country and, at the moment, our preliminary assessments show that the country has been devastated at levels never seen before, he added.
Jamaica, therefore, is on its knees and the damage toll is dramatic. There are over 30 deaths and, all around, a lunar landscape.
A devastated island
As Melissa moved north, leaving behind a landscape of rubble, Zulu described an apocalyptic situation: infrastructure razed, entire communities isolated and an economy brought to its knees.
I don’t think there’s a single soul on this island that wasn’t affected by Hurricane Melissa, he said, noting that the rebuilding process will be long and expensive.
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The United Nations, together with the Caribbean Disaster Emergency Management Agency (CDEMA) and regional governments, are coordinating emergency responses. But the logistical challenges are enormous: impassable roads, destroyed ports and broken power lines complicate any rescue operation.
The humanitarian emergency: food, water and shelter
From the capital Kingston, Brian Bogartdirector of the World Food Program (WFP) for the Caribbean, described the situation as a “terrible tragedy”.
WFP is preparing 2,000 emergency food boxes, enough to sustain around 6,000 people for a week, ready to be airlifted from Barbados as soon as airports reopen.
Meanwhile, a ship loaded with hygiene kits, tents, generators and essential supplies is departing from the logistics center in Barbados, in collaboration with CDEMA and other UN agencies.
The hurricane continues towards Cuba and the Bahamas
After hitting Jamaica hard, Melissa crossed Cuba with winds of up to almost 200 km/h, bringing torrential rain and dangerous storm surges. The National Hurricane Center (NHC) confirmed that, despite having weakened to a Category 2, the storm remains “powerful and destructive” as it moves towards the Bahamas and, subsequently, Bermuda.
Data from the UN Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (OCHA) indicate that Melissa is among the most intense storms in recent decades in the Caribbean: gusts of up to 222 km/h and rainfall that exceeded 145 millimeters in just two days.
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An unmistakable sign of the climate crisis
UN Deputy Secretary General Amina Mohammed called Melissa “yet another demonstration of climate science”, recalling how rising global temperatures are fueling increasingly intense and destructive hurricanes.
“This storm shows us why we must fight to keep global warming to 1.5°C,” he said.
Secretary-General António Guterres expressed his condolences to the families of the victims and reiterated the UN’s solidarity with the affected governments:
“Led by resident coordinators on the ground, we are working hand-in-hand with local authorities and humanitarian partners to assess needs and assist those affected.”
Even the president of the UN General Assembly, Annalena Baerbock, recalled on social media that for developing island states the climate crisis “is not a future threat, but a daily reality”.
“Adaptation is not an option, it is a question of survival. Solidarity must translate into concrete, large-scale climate action.”
Melissa as a global warning
Hurricane Melissa is just the latest in a long series of extreme events that are hitting the planet with increasing force in recent years. Scientists warn that the warming ocean is providing devastating energy to these tropical phenomena.
What is happening in the Caribbean is not an isolated episode, but a global wake-up call. The climate crisis spares no one, and the price of inaction is measured in human lives, destroyed ecosystems and broken economies.
It’s time to listen to the voice of the planet – and act, before the next Melissa reminds us, once again, how fragile our balance with nature is.
