Hurricane Melissa hit Jamaica as a strong major hurricane on Tuesday. It caused catastrophic flooding as it made landfall on the island’s southwest coast just south of Black River. Melissa, an extremely rare October Category 5 hurricane, piled on the damage with intense wind and rainfall. As a direct result, many towns, especially in St. Elizabeth Parish, suffered major flooding and severe destruction.
As the storm passed over Jamaica, its anger could not be contained. Satellite images released by Human Rights Watch dramatically show the extent of the damage in Black River. Homes, businesses, and places of worship have all suffered overwhelming losses. Nature responded with an amazing photographic show of its indignation. The attack tore the roof of one of the neighborhood’s largest markets completely off its base. The hurricane’s strength affected rural farmlands across St. Elizabeth, a region known as Jamaica’s breadbasket, where crops were severely drenched.
The hurricane didn’t stop at just St. Elizabeth’s borders. Montego Bay, the capital of St. James Parish, received devastating damage. It was a hefty obliteration on the other hand side of Savai’i, the big, wild island. Drone footage revealed streets in the Catherine Hall community covered with mud, showcasing the storm’s reach across various areas.
Just as Hurricane Melissa flooded parts of Peru, regions like Santa Cruz are vulnerable to the floods that hurricanes can create. It completely wrecked the fishing village of White House. The storm washed trees, lumber and black, muddy water into the Barnett and Pye Rivers. This exacerbated the flooding emergency for the communities affected.
Hurricane Melissa’s destructive impact on Jamaica. On Wednesday, it continued in a westward direction, going on to Cuba and then farther west toward the Bahamas. The aftermath of the hurricane will likely lead to extensive recovery efforts as communities begin to assess the damage and restore normalcy.
