Exclusive to Insiders: Hurricane Melissa Devastates Jamaica, Exposing the Fragile Future of Small Island States

KINGSTON, JAMAICA — Walls of wind and rain now engulf Jamaica as Hurricane Melissa — a Category 5 superstorm and the most powerful of 2025 — tears across the island’s southern coast with sustained winds of up to 185 mph (295 km/h), making it the strongest storm ever to approach Jamaica. Forecasters warn the hurricane could be the strongest ever to make landfall in Jamaica, leaving destruction that “could reshape the coastline” and disrupt daily life for months.

For Jamaica, one of the world’s Small Island Developing States (SIDS), Hurricane Melissa is more than a natural disaster — it’s a devastating reminder of the disproportionate climate risks faced by small nations with limited capacity to evacuate or rebuild.

“There is very little that can stop a Category 5 hurricane,” said Evan Thompson, principal director of Jamaica’s Meteorological Service. “Life-threatening damage is inevitable.”

A nation bracing for impact

As the storm’s eyewall struck the island Tuesday evening, more than 240,000 Jamaicans had already lost power. The energy minister confirmed widespread damage to transmission lines and substations, with southern and western parishes among the hardest hit.

Government shelters are filling rapidly. “This is not the time to be brave,” warned Desmond McKenzie, Jamaica’s local government minister. “Don’t bet against Melissa — it’s a bet we can’t win.” About 6,000 people were already in emergency shelters by the time landfall began.

On the ground, scenes are chaotic and human. Families shelter in hotel basements. Rural communities brace against collapsing roofs. Stranded visitors describe flickering power and mounting fear.

“It’s very, very scary times right now in Jamaica,” one visitor in Negril told local media. “Everywhere is closed and boarded up. Everyone stay safe.”

A SIDS in the hot-seat

Jamaica’s SIDS status amplifies the stakes. Its small land mass — with dense populations near narrow coastal plains — already faces systemic vulnerabilities from climate shocks, limited adaptation capacity, and constrained economic buffers.  Moreover, Jamaica’s geographic location places it squarely in the “hurricane alley” of the Atlantic, where storms such as Melissa exploit existing disaster risk gaps.

The island’s flood-prone soils are saturated from seasonal rainfall; informal coastal settlements remain exposed; and local infrastructure lacks the headroom to absorb catastrophic stress. As one humanitarian official warned: up to 1.5 million Jamaicans could be impacted.

‘Storm of the century’

The World Meteorological Organization (WMO) has called Hurricane Melissa “the storm of the century,” warning of catastrophic flash flooding, 3–4 metre storm surges, and up to 700 mm of rainfall in parts of the island.

Anne-Claire Fontan, WMO’s tropical cyclone specialist, said: “We have to expect the worst for this situation unfolding now.”

The International Federation of Red Cross and Red Crescent Societies (IFRC) said the humanitarian threat is “severe and immediate,” emphasizing that the slow-moving storm could cause days of sustained flooding and landslides in already saturated terrain.

“Coastal communities remain financially strained, informal settlements are highly exposed, and soils are saturated from the rainy season,” said Necephor Mghendi, IFRC’s regional head of delegation.

Stranded and waiting for help

Reports from tourists in Montego Bay and Ocho Rios detail overcrowded shelters, failing communication lines, and minimal contact from foreign embassies. While U.S., French, and German nationals reported active outreach from their governments, British citizens voiced frustration over a lack of coordination or contingency planning.

“We’ve had no communication from the UK government or British Airways,” one stranded traveller wrote. “It’s shocking how bad the government response is in comparison to others.”

Meanwhile, World Central Kitchen — which served 43,000 meals during last year’s Hurricane Beryl — has already mobilized teams across Jamaica to prepare food and support recovery operations once the storm subsides.

A warning for the world

As Hurricane Melissa bears down on the Caribbean, its scale underscores the deepening reality of climate-driven disasters in vulnerable island economies. Jamaica, like many SIDS, has limited fiscal headroom to rebuild, despite decades of advocacy for fair access to climate finance and insurance.

UN humanitarian officials stress that the first priority remains saving lives — but what follows will again test global resolve. Without accelerated investment in resilience, adaptation, and early-warning systems, experts warn that storms like Melissa could soon define the Caribbean’s future rather than disrupt it.