PAHO Regional Situation Report 3 - Hurricane Melissa

Hurricane Melissa made landfall in Jamaica on 28 October as a Category 5 storm, causing severe regional impacts across Haiti, Cuba, the Dominican Republic, and the Bahamas.

The storm has heavily disrupted health systems, resulting in damaged hospitals, power and water outages, and limited access to essential health services. Response operations remain constrained by blocked roads, flooding, and restricted airport and port access. 

Report Highlights

Jamaica: Severe damage is being reported at 5 major hospitals, and damage is also being reported at health centers (n= 101), with power outages, and impacts to water systems affecting emergency services, inpatient care, surgical capacity, and imaging and laboratory services; 45 deaths confirmed, with 814 people in shelters.

Haiti: Approximately 1,255 people remain in four temporary shelters in Ouest and Sud. 43 deaths reported, mainly in Petit-Goâve, Ouest Department. Water systems damage is increasing risk of waterborne diseases in shelters and impacted communities. Prevention and awareness campaigns to limit cholera spread, ongoing outbreak preceding Hurricane Melissa, with 2,900 cases of cholera, including 20 community deaths and seven institutional deaths since January 2025.

Cuba: Widespread destruction, flooding, and landslides were reported, with 735,000 people evacuated and 2,065 remain in shelters. Essential services have been disrupted across the affected eastern provinces, with damage reported to 642 healthcare facilities. Electrical services remain significantly disrupted in Santiago de Cuba.