Situation Report 7 Jamaica - Hurricane Melissa. 2 November 2025

Hurricane Melissa made landfall on Jamaica’s south coast as a Category 5 hurricane at noon on October 28, 2025, near New Hope, Westmoreland, causing catastrophic damage across the Southern and Western Regions. On the same day, the Prime Minister declared the entire country a disaster area under the Disaster Risk Management (Hurricane Melissa) Order. The UN Central Emergency Response Fund (CERF) has allocated US$4 million for humanitarian operations, with PAHO submitting the health sector proposal. On November 2, PAHO’s damage assessment team conducted structural and WASH assessments at Falmouth Hospital in Trelawny, which was severely impacted, initiating a pilot WASH damage assessment. As of November 1, twenty-eight deaths have been confirmed due to hurricane-related injuries, including three reported prior to landfall. On the same day, PAHO joined the Ministry of Health and Wellness in hospital clean-up activities at Savanna-la-Mar, Cornwall Regional, Falmouth, and Noel Holmes Hospitals. Several health facilities across the southern and western parishes have sustained significant damage, severely compromising services. Communication remains limited in some areas, and many roads are still impassable. PAHO continues to support the Ministry in maintaining health services, WASH, mental health and psychosocial support, post-disaster infrastructure assessments, and coordination. The National Emergency Operations Centre (NEOC) remains at Activation Level 3.