{"id":9295,"date":"2025-10-28T18:01:50","date_gmt":"2025-10-28T22:01:50","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/sdgnews.com\/?p=9295"},"modified":"2025-10-28T18:01:51","modified_gmt":"2025-10-28T22:01:51","slug":"hurricane-melissa-devastates-jamaica-2","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/sdgnews.com\/zh\/hurricane-melissa-devastates-jamaica-2\/","title":{"rendered":"Exclusive to Insiders: Hurricane Melissa Devastates Jamaica, Exposing the Fragile Future of Small Island States"},"content":{"rendered":"

KINGSTON, JAMAICA \u2014<\/strong> Walls of wind and rain now engulf Jamaica as Hurricane Melissa \u2014 a Category 5 superstorm and the most powerful of 2025 \u2014 tears across the island\u2019s 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 \u201ccould reshape the coastline\u201d<\/em> and disrupt daily life for months.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

For Jamaica, one of the world\u2019s Small Island Developing States (SIDS), Hurricane Melissa is more than a natural disaster \u2014 it\u2019s a devastating reminder of the disproportionate climate risks faced by small nations with limited capacity to evacuate or rebuild.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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\u201cThere is very little that can stop a Category 5 hurricane,\u201d<\/em> said Evan Thompson, principal director of Jamaica\u2019s Meteorological Service<\/strong>. \u201cLife-threatening damage is inevitable.\u201d<\/em><\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n\n\n\n

A nation bracing for impact<\/strong><\/h3>\n\n\n\n

As the storm\u2019s 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.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Government shelters are filling rapidly. \u201cThis is not the time to be brave,\u201d<\/em> warned Desmond McKenzie<\/strong>, Jamaica\u2019s local government minister. \u201cDon\u2019t bet against Melissa \u2014 it\u2019s a bet we can\u2019t win.\u201d<\/em> About 6,000 people were already in emergency shelters by the time landfall began.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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\u201cIt\u2019s very, very scary times right now in Jamaica,\u201d <\/em>one visitor in Negril told local media. \u201cEverywhere is closed and boarded up. Everyone stay safe.\u201d<\/em><\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n\n\n\n

A SIDS in the hot-seat<\/h3>\n\n\n\n

Jamaica\u2019s SIDS status amplifies the stakes. Its small land mass \u2014 with dense populations near narrow coastal plains \u2014 already faces systemic vulnerabilities from climate shocks, limited adaptation capacity, and constrained economic buffers.  Moreover, Jamaica\u2019s geographic location places it squarely in the \u201churricane alley\u201d of the Atlantic, where storms such as Melissa exploit existing disaster risk gaps.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The island\u2019s 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.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u2018Storm of the century\u2019<\/strong><\/h3>\n\n\n\n

The World Meteorological Organization (WMO) has called Hurricane Melissa \u201cthe storm of the century,\u201d<\/em> warning of catastrophic flash flooding, 3\u20134 metre storm surges, and up to 700 mm of rainfall in parts of the island.<\/p>\n\n\n\n\n

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Hurricane Melissa vs. the World\u2019s Strongest Cyclones<\/h2>\n

Comparing maximum sustained winds among record-setting storms of the last 100 years. Melissa is highlighted.<\/p>\n\n

\n 0 mph<\/span>\n 220 mph (max)<\/span>\n <\/div>\n\n
\n
Hurricane Patricia (2015)<\/div>
215<\/span><\/div><\/div>\n
Typhoon Haiyan (2013)<\/div>
195<\/span><\/div><\/div>\n
Typhoon Goni (2020)<\/div>
195<\/span><\/div><\/div>\n
Super Typhoon Tip (1979)<\/div>
190<\/span><\/div><\/div>\n
Hurricane Allen (1980)<\/div>
190<\/span><\/div><\/div>\n
Typhoon Meranti (2016)<\/div>
190<\/span><\/div><\/div>\n\n \n
Hurricane Melissa (2025)<\/div>
185<\/span><\/div><\/div>\n\n
Hurricane Dorian (2019)<\/div>
185<\/span><\/div><\/div>\n
Hurricane Wilma (2005)<\/div>
185<\/span><\/div><\/div>\n
Hurricane Gilbert (1988)<\/div>
185<\/span><\/div><\/div>\n <\/div>\n\n

*Based on one-minute sustained wind speeds (mph). Data: NOAA \/ JTWC \/ WMO. Melissa (185 mph) currently ranks among the most intense Atlantic hurricanes ever recorded.<\/p>\n

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