The full extent of the devastation caused by Hurricane Melissa is still emerging in Jamaica.
Widespread power outages and disrupted phone service have left much of the island isolated, hindering the flow of information.
Reports indicate that approximately three-quarters of the nation experienced overnight power loss, while assessments of injuries and potential fatalities are only beginning.
Numerous areas on Jamaica’s western coast remain submerged, with significant property damage reported due to the hurricane’s powerful winds.
Describing the impact of the storm, one local official likened the scene to “an apocalypse movie” as wind and rain battered the island overnight.
The communications infrastructure has been severely compromised, leaving the true scope of the disaster yet unknown. Prime Minister Andrew Holness declared a “disaster area” late Tuesday, citing concerns over “devastating impacts” and “significant damage” to critical infrastructure, residences, and businesses.
While no deaths have been officially confirmed, Montego Bay Mayor Richard Vernon told the BBC that his priority at daybreak would be “to check if everybody is alive.”
Hurricane Melissa, the strongest storm to impact Jamaica in recent history, traversed the island on Tuesday, leaving widespread destruction in its wake.
At its peak, the hurricane sustained winds of 298 km/h (185 mph), surpassing the intensity of Hurricane Katrina, which devastated New Orleans in 2005 and resulted in 1,392 fatalities.
Reports of severe damage are surfacing, including accounts of roads transformed into rivers, mudslides in hilly regions, structural damage to buildings, and uprooted trees.
In Black River, located on the southwest coast, police officer Warrell Nicholson sought shelter at the police station with local residents, despite the building itself sustaining damage. He described the situation to AFP as “devastating.”
Further along the coast, Andrew Houston Moncure, along with his wife and young child, sought refuge in his luxury hotel. They barricaded themselves inside a reinforced shower, describing the experience to AFP as terrifying.
“It was the most terrifying experience, especially with my son. The pressure is so low you struggle to breathe, and it just sounds like a freight train going over you,” he told AFP.
A Member of Parliament in western Jamaica echoed similar sentiments, telling Kimone Francis of The Jamaica Gleaner that the scene “resembled the scene of an apocalypse movie.”
Francis described the night as “stressful” and “intense,” characterized by unrelenting wind and torrential rain.
“You don’t have a connection. You can’t speak to the people you normally speak to,” she told the BBC World Service’s Newsday program.
Across Jamaica’s central parishes, Francis noted that floodwaters had reached the roofs of two-story homes.
One anonymous woman told the BBC: “There is water coming in through the roof of my house. I am not okay.”
While no fatalities had yet been confirmed, the Jamaican Prime Minister told CNN that he feared “there would be some loss of life,” noting widespread damage affecting hospitals, schools, residences, and businesses.
Verna Genus was sheltering from the storm at her four bedroom home in the village of Carlisle, St Elizabeth, when the hurricane ripped the zinc roof off her house.
The 73-year-old vegetable farmer was in the house with her sons and baby grandchild when the hurricane made landfall over the area.
Verna has lost communications due to the power lines being down. But her UK-based sister, June Powell, spoke to the BBC about what happened.
“She was crying on the phone,” June said, adding: “You are huddled up inside and then you look up then the roof is gone. I have never heard her like that – she was wailing ‘we are all finished.'”
She is anxiously waiting for the communications networks to be restored so she can talk to her sister.
St Elizabeth, known as Jamaica’s breadbasket, produces much of the island’s produce. With crops submerged and fields destroyed, many farmers will struggle to financially recover.
Montego Bay, a vital hub for Jamaica’s tourism sector and home to its primary airport, will require significant time to recover. The hurricane has dealt a severe blow to the Jamaican economy.
Mayor Vernon reported that Montego Bay was bisected by floodwaters. Speaking to BBC Breakfast, he said, “Once the wind subsided, we started to get a lot of heavy rain and that has led to massive floods right across the city. One side of the city is now cut off from the other due to roads being inundated by flood water.”
His immediate priority, he emphasized, was to “Check if everybody is alive.”
In rural Jamaica, the storm has left people shaken. Tamisha Lee, president of the Jamaica Network of Rural Women Producers, said: “Right now, what I’m seeing is heavy rain, powerful wind, a lot of things flying all over the place, and trees uprooted. There is no electricity. I am feeling anxious and tense. The damage will be enormous.”
Meteorologists noted the unusually rapid intensification of Hurricane Melissa, attributing its strength to abnormally warm Caribbean waters, a trend linked to broader climate change patterns.
Upon reaching Jamaica, the storm had attained Category 5 status, with winds capable of tearing roofs from concrete structures, uprooting trees, and snapping power poles.
Health officials issued warnings about the potential displacement of crocodiles into residential areas due to floodwaters.
For thousands of tourists visiting the island, the storm brought fear and uncertainty.
“I’ve never heard anything like it,” said Pia Chevallier from Cambridge, who travelled to Jamaica with her 15-year-old son on Saturday.
Speaking to BBC Radio 5 Live from her darkened hotel room, she said: “The glass in the windows and patio doors was all vibrating. The doors sounded like they were slamming, even though they were closed. It was horrendous.”
She added: “There’s debris everywhere – palm trees, coconuts, branches, all over the place. The big palm trees with all the roots are up. That’s how strong the winds have been.”
Wayne Gibson, a British tourist from Kent vacationing in Ocho Rios with his wife and two teenage daughters, told BBC Radio 4’s Today program that they were sheltering in a communal hall.
Kyle Holmes from Bolton, visiting Lucea in the north west, described the hotel as “a disaster zone” and said he had no idea when they will be able to get home.
By early Wednesday morning, Hurricane Melissa had moved on to make landfall in Cuba, leaving Jamaica paralysed and with severely disrupted communication. Though it has since weakened to a Category 3 hurricane, it remains powerful with wind speeds of over 200km/h (124mph).
Jamaica has a catastrophe bond, a form of insurance designed to provide financial relief following such events, which will hopefully enable the country to recover. However, the immediate priority is addressing the interim needs of the affected population.
Additional reporting by Gabriela Pomeroy
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