By Robyn Quinn
What happened in Jamaica?
On the afternoon of 28 October 2025, Jamaica was struck by Hurricane Melissa, a catastrophic Category 5 storm that devastated the island’s southwest with winds reaching 160 miles per hour. The storm had formed off the coast of West Africa, intensifying from a tropical storm into a Category 5 hurricane on the Saffir-Simpson Scale, which measures hurricanes from Category 1 to 5 based on wind speed.
Thanks to modern weather forecasting, the people of Jamaica had advance warning of what was heading their way. According to AccuWeather, they were ‘the first to identify the potential for tropical development in the Caribbean, the first to forecast the risk of life-threatening flooding, and the first to predict that the storm would intensify into a hurricane’. Residents braced for impact, taking swift action to protect lives. The government set up storm shelters, including in Kingston, the capital, to provide safe refuge for those who needed it most.
What is the impact of Melissa?
In the aftermath, many lives were lost, homes were destroyed and neighbourhoods were flooded. This then resulted in an appalling $50 million worth of damage. The Jamaican Prime Minister Andrew Holness described it as “heartbreaking.” But added that the spirit of the population “remains unbroken.”
Melissa also impacted other countries including, Cuba, Haiti, Dominican Republic and Bahamas where there was landfalls and flooding restricting emergency services’ access to survivors of the storm.
What is the government doing about the aftermath in Jamaica?
In terms of the British government, we have been working with charities including the World Food Programme and the Red Cross that have provided £2.5 million to support the Caribbean’s regions.
On the other hand, Jamaica’s government has set up temporary field hospitals since many were destroyed, they are sending emergency relief items and they will be receiving money from disaster insurance which will help build homes and make other investments in communities.
We all hope that the people of Jamaica will rebuild their lives as quickly and easily as possible.