Updates on Hurricane Melissa

Jaylyn Osbourne '29

Nearly a month after Hurricane Melissa formed in the Caribbean Sea, she has caused catastrophic damage along the west coast of Jamaica, as well as affecting other countries, including the Dominican Republic, Haiti, Bahamas, and Cuba, according to the Convoy of Hope organisation.

Hurricane Melissa hit Jamaica on the 28th of October as a category 5 storm—the most powerful to ever come in contact with the country, with winds of 185 mph, says PBS. Later that day, she continued her voyage past Cuba as a Category 3 storm, which wrought heavy wind and rain upon hundreds of thousands of households. She subsequently brought the same to the Bahamas, but as a category 1 storm, forcing many more to seek refuge, the Convoy of Hope continues.

Since then, the damages from the storm have surpassed $9.5 billion, the death toll being at least 75 throughout the Caribbean, according to The New York Times and Reuters. Jamaica had funds amounting to $500 million reserved for climate disasters, which covers a mere 5% of the total cost.

To help with the aftermath, many music artists have donated to Jamaica, two of which being DJ Khaled and Bounty Killer. Caribbean National Weekly reported that each donated $2 million on the 17th of November to hospitals that could benefit significantly from financial aid. The hospitals, namely Black River Hospital, Cornwall Regional Hospital, Falmouth Public General Hospital, and the Savanna-la-Mar Public General Hospital, located across different parishes in the country, have all sustained damage from the hurricane and will now be able to import machines needed for medical practice as well as much-needed reforms to the buildings.

Nevertheless, it will be a long period of time before Jamaica and the countries surrounding it will be able to fully recover. Families have been separated, unable to contact each other, homes have been reduced to ruins in a matter of hours, and a great number of people have been left without drinkable water. Fortunately, reparations are already being made, and people from not just Jamaica but other countries have been coming together to help. The New Hope International and Tallahassee Urban League organisations in Tallahassee, Florida, have raised $100,000 as of November 18, which is a start to the numerous contributions that will help the Caribbean recover from the calamity that was Hurricane Melissa.