Jamaicans Working Hard To Recover Weeks After Monster Storm Melissa 

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JAMAICA – Weeks after Hurricane Melissa tore across Jamaica as one of the strongest storms ever recorded, the island nation is still struggling to recover. We traveled to Jamaica and spoke with residents who shared their stories of survival and the long road ahead.

Hurricane Melissa made landfall on October 28 as a Category 5 storm, later hitting Cuba as a Category 3 and affecting Haiti and The Bahamas. But Jamaica endured the storm’s most catastrophic impact.

Winds and torrential floods ripped across the island, generating more than 4.8 million tonnes of debris that clogged roads and rivers. Homes were flattened, trees uprooted, and the electrical grid in several parishes was left in ruins.

Joshua joined a convoy from Kingston at daybreak, traveling under police escort toward Bethels Town in Westmoreland, one of the hardest-hit communities. Even miles before arriving, the devastation in parts of St. Elizabeth was unmistakable: skeletal remains of homes, hills stripped bare where lush greenery once thrived, and entire landscapes reshaped by the storm.

In Bethels Town, residents described the horror of that night. One woman recalled the moment her home collapsed as she fled to a neighbor’s for safety. Another resident said many people have no idea how to begin rebuilding, unsure of their next steps or where help will come from.

A local hardware and bar owner told Joshua he lost nearly everything — two houses, parts of his business, and most of his inventory. For many, the damage extends far beyond buildings. Residents spoke of losing livestock, livelihoods, and stability, yet still expressed gratitude for surviving the storm.

“We lost goats, cows, pigs, everything tear down,” one woman said. “But we give God thanks we are here today.”