Kingston [Jamaica], October 29 (ANI): The catastrophic Category 5 Hurricane Melissa has made landfall in Jamaica, prompting the government to declare the nation a disaster area under the Disaster Risk Management Act, Prime Minister Andrew Holness announced on Wednesday.
“At 12:00 noon, the center of Hurricane Melissa made landfall on the southwestern coast of Jamaica near New Hope, Westmoreland,” Holness stated in a post on X.
In another post, he said, “Acting on the advice of the Office of Disaster Preparedness and Emergency Management and the Hon. Desmond McKenzie, Minister of Local Government and Community Development, I have declared Jamaica a disaster area under the Disaster Risk Management Act. This declaration takes effect today, October 28, 2025.” He underscored that these measures give the government the tools needed to continue managing the response to Hurricane Melissa.
UN agencies, including the World Food Programme (WFP), have begun mobilizing to support impacted communities. The WFP noted that Melissa is the most powerful hurricane to strike the Caribbean since Hurricane Beryl in July last year and the strongest storm seen anywhere in the world this year.
To aid affected communities across the Caribbean, the WFP is working around the clock. In Haiti, it is providing anticipatory e-money distributions to meet urgent humanitarian needs and help people protect their livelihoods ahead of the storm. The distributions will reach approximately 45,000 people, totaling about USD 900,000.
In Jamaica, WFP teams are on the ground, coordinating with the government and the Caribbean Disaster Emergency Management Agency to assist with emergency logistics, telecommunications, supply chain, and food and cash aid as needed, according to the agency’s official website.
In Cuba’s eastern region, which faces the greatest risk, the WFP and the government have prepositioned food supplies to support 275,000 people for up to 60 days. In the Dominican Republic, more than 4,000 vulnerable households in flood-prone areas will receive cash assistance to prepare for the storm and mitigate its impact on food security. If required, emergency food aid will be activated in the southwestern provinces to reach up to 6,000 families with ready-to-eat meals for five days and dry rations for 15 days, the WFP said.
Hurricane Melissa, a ferocious Category 5 storm, was last reported about 150 miles southwest of Kingston, Jamaica, with sustained winds of 175 mph. It is among the most intense hurricanes ever recorded in the Atlantic Ocean, CNN reported. (ANI)
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