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On Tuesday, with Hurricane Melissa, a Category 5 storm, approaching Jamaica, I expressed my deep affection for the island nation, aware of the potentially catastrophic damage predicted by meteorologists.
Tragically, those dire forecasts have now materialized. As more footage surfaces, the sheer force of the hurricane and the devastation it has wrought become increasingly apparent. One particular video reveals a coastline bearing an unsettling resemblance to the devastated landscapes of Malibu and Pacific Palisades, California, following the destructive wildfires earlier this year.
Fortunately, my extended family in Kingston, whom I mentioned in my previous piece, came through the storm without serious injuries. Nevertheless, they remain on edge, as one family member fears that her water-logged roof could collapse at any moment. Roads have been virtually erased, with widespread flooding compounding the chaos. Communication has been sporadic, relying mainly on WhatsApp, as internet connectivity remains unstable, and the relentless 185-mile-per-hour winds have knocked out power and other lines of communication.
SEE: Monster Hurricane Melissa Slamming Jamaica Right Now, Damage Predictions Are Catastrophic
In many areas, entire villages have been submerged, and roads have vanished beneath the floodwaters, a grim situation that continues to unfold.
— ABC News (@ABC) October 31, 2025
Thankfully, the extended family I wrote about all survived without serious incident in Kingston, but one is concerned her water-logged roof will collapse at any moment. Numerous roads have all but disappeared, and flooding is everywhere. While we have heard from them sporadically through WhatsApp, the internet has been iffy, and lines of communication and power of all types were felled by the sustained 185-mile-an-hour winds.
SEE: Monster Hurricane Melissa Slamming Jamaica Right Now, Damage Predictions Are Catastrophic
Entire villages were covered by water, and roads simply disappeared as flooding continued (and is still continuing):
NEW VIDEO: Our field correspondent Josh Morgerman (@iCyclone) is in Black River, Jamaica, one of the hardest hit locations by Hurricane Melissa.
Here’s some of the damage he’s seeing. 🔽🔽 #Melissa pic.twitter.com/w714bbFU1L
— WeatherNation (@WeatherNation) October 30, 2025
Many countries, including the USA, have pledged to help with relief efforts as some communities are still cut off:
In Jamaica, government workers and residents began clearing roads in a push to reach dozens of isolated communities in the island’s southeast that sustained a direct hit from one of the most powerful Atlantic hurricanes on record.
Stunned residents wandered about, some staring at their roofless homes and waterlogged belongings strewn around them.
“I don’t have a house now,” said Sylvester Guthrie, a resident of Lacovia in the southern parish of St. Elizabeth, as he held onto his bicycle, the only possession of value left after the storm.
Emergency relief flights were landing at Jamaica’s main international airport as crews distributed water, medicine and other basic supplies. Helicopters dropped food as they thrummed above communities where the storm flattened homes, wiped out roads and destroyed bridges, cutting them off from assistance.
“The entire Jamaica is really broken because of what has happened,” Education Minister Dana Morris Dixon said.
Severe damage was captured at Montego Bay International Airport after Hurricane Melissa made landfall in Jamaica with winds exceeding 185 mph. pic.twitter.com/bplh6w4TTy
— AccuWeather (@accuweather) October 29, 2025
The storm has accounted for at least 50 deaths so far in the Caribbean between Jamaica, Haiti, the Dominican Republic, and Cuba.
Hurricane Melissa slammed into southwest Jamaica overnight, killing seven and leaving over half a million without power. Officials say 25,000 tourists are stranded as the storm heads toward Cuba, where 700,000 have been evacuated. pic.twitter.com/tj7t3E88t8
— Open Source Intel (@Osint613) October 29, 2025
Cuba is still assessing the damage, but many communities are without electricity, internet, and telephone services, and widespread damage is reported.
Humans often seem to think that we are so advanced that we literally control the weather. Mother Nature has a way of reminding us that there are forces far more powerful than humanity at work in our world. Pray for all those in the affected areas—it’s undoubtedly going to take years in some places to fully recover.