Hurricane Melissa: One week later

Regional Impact
In Jamaica, heavy rains and flooding disrupted transportation, damaged homes, and forced residents into shelters. Haiti, already vulnerable from previous storms, faced flash floods and landslides that destroyed crops and housing. Across the wider Caribbean, Melissa’s impact highlighted the region’s continued vulnerability to increasingly severe hurricanes. Cuba was the hardest hit and a week later the full scale of the disaster is becoming increasingly clear. Civil Defense reports indicate that more than 50 communities remain cut off due to severe flooding and damage to infrastructure, leaving thousands of residents isolated and in urgent need of assistance.

Over 120,000 people remain in shelters, more than 500 education centers damaged, nearly 500 hospitals, polyclinics, medical offices, and pharmacies damaged.Thousands of telephone poles, cables and six towers means are in need of repair. Restoring communication could take several weeks, leaving residents cut off from critical updates and coordination efforts.

Homes and Food Security
Civil Defense reports that over 60,000 homes have been affected, most suffering partial or total roof damage. Agriculture has also been devastated, with 78,700 hectares of crops damaged, including more than half of the region’s banana plantations. In Granma alone, 28,000 head of cattle were lost, along with hundreds of smaller livestock and over 110,000 liters of milk left uncollected, creating serious challenges to food security.

Humanitarian Response
In response to the disaster, Resources are being mobilized in the region in coordination with national authorities. The plan seeks to mobilize USD $74.2 million to assist nearly one million people in the most affected provinces. Relief efforts are ongoing, but collapsed bridges, blocked roads, and debris continue to limit access to the hardest-hit communities.

Looking Ahead
As recovery efforts continue, the scale of Hurricane Melissa’s impact underscores the urgent need for coordinated humanitarian assistance and long-term support. The coming weeks will be critical in restoring electricity, communication, food security, and shelter for thousands of affected families.