Authorities are reporting the deaths of at least 32 people from the passage of Hurricane Melissa last week and the almost complete devastation of several western parishes as the relief and recovery effort is being stepped up on the island.
Minister of Labor and Social Security Pearnel Charles Jr. said people are desperate for food and water. However, authorities are stepping up relief efforts as he appealed for citizens to understand the scope and enormity of the devastation from the most significant storm of the 2025 Atlantic hurricane season.
“There is no country in the world that could have suffered what we have suffered and respond in one day or one week,” the minister told reporters this week as he updated the nation on the latest developments.
His counterpart at information, Dana Morris Dixon, said authorities are also investigating reports about eight other missing persons as they try to lock down the exact death toll from Melissa.
“We do expect that number to increase. This is really very painful. I know that many families are feeling that pain. Every additional person added to that list, I know we all feel it, and we feel it deeply. We’ll keep giving you the latest numbers, and just know that we are praying for all these families. It’s not an easy time for them.”
In all, governments in Cuba and Haiti, which were also visited by a weakened Melissa, are reporting an additional 34 deaths, bringing the total so far in the region to 66 with nearly $3.5 billion in damage.
Authorities are reporting 25 communities that are still marooned due to mudslides, flooded areas, and debris. These include some in Westmoreland, St. Elizabeth, St. James, and Trelawny, as well as one in Hanover Parish. The storm came ashore mostly in the west and northern portions of the island, sparing communities in central, eastern, and the capital, Kingston-St. Andrew.
To help people, teachers included, cope with the devastation, the destruction of schools, and the depression of some students, the cabinet is mobilizing a group of more than 30 psychiatrists and psychologists to counsel victims. The move followed complaints and urgings from the teachers’ association about how its members have been affected by the storm.
As relief and response systems improve, Minister Dixon also appealed to people in the affected parishes to make way on the limited number of functioning roadways for the military and other agencies to bring relief supplies to communities, fetching out the sick and injured, as navigating the traffic buildup in these areas has become a nightmare.
“The problem is there is traffic, significant traffic, on both sides of the road, and it is preventing very important aid and assistance from getting to where they are needed. We also have medics with us who are trying to get to those who may be injured, and we are struggling to get through the traffic. If you do not have to go down, please do not go down. We passed one area where people stopped on the side of the road to take pictures. It is not a time to take pictures. We need to make sure that we can get teams to go down and help.”
To help commercial banks restart operations, particularly at ATMs, the government has arranged with satellite internet provider Starlink to provide services, allowing locals to obtain cash. Six hundred units will arrive on the island this week and will be hurried into operations.
“The ATMs, there are none of them working in western Jamaica because of technology and lack of power. Therefore, the priority would be to power up some of those ATMs so that people can access their money. Without money, nothing happens, and therefore they need to be able to have money, whether to buy gas, or to buy food, or whatever it is,” Telecommunication Minister Daryl Vaz said in a social media post as Venezuela delivered 20 tons of relief supplies over the weekend and 26 to Cuba, as well.
