Hurricane Melissa Leaves Northwestern Jamaica in Ruins — Residents Begin Rebuilding Amid Widespread Devastation
- NewsBlend360
- Oct 29
- 2 min read
By NEWS BLEND 360
Updated 6:22 PM EST, October 29, 2025
LUCEA, Jamaica — The aftermath of Hurricane Melissa has left Jamaica’s northwestern coast in shambles, with widespread destruction reported across communities in Hanover Parish and surrounding areas. Keitho Nembhard, a hotelier at the Grand Palladium Hotel in Lucea, described scenes of devastation as the storm’s powerful winds and surging waves battered the island overnight.
“The devastation around is significant,” Nembhard told CNN. “Lots of downed trees, lots of debris, damage to properties, lots of roofs have blown off.”
According to Nembhard, numerous hotel staff members remain unable to contact family members or return home due to blocked roadways and downed communication lines. On Tuesday night, Nembhard and his colleagues sheltered in place at the Grand Palladium alongside approximately 700 guests, as the full force of Hurricane Melissa swept through the region.
“It was horrible,” Nembhard recalled. “It was very frightening. You could see massive waves, coming ashore, high as between 13 to 15 feet. Lots of water falling around us. But what we saw during that was our team members and our management team stood firm, trying to ensure some level of safety and security for everyone involved as we hunkered down and supported each other.”
The hurricane tore through coastal communities, toppling trees, ripping off rooftops, flooding homes, and leaving entire neighborhoods without power or clean water. Emergency crews have been working to clear blocked roads and assess damage as the island begins the long process of recovery.
Despite the chaos and destruction, Nembhard described a powerful sense of unity among Jamaicans in the wake of the storm.
“What I’m seeing currently is a resilient set of people,” he said. “A lot of Jamaicans are out assisting each other to rebuild the day after the storm. We are already rebuilding. We’re putting on Bob Marley music, trying to get through to our relatives and friends — and at the same time, we are holding together.”
Authorities are urging residents to remain cautious as cleanup efforts continue and floodwaters recede. While official casualty figures in Jamaica have not yet been confirmed, Hurricane Melissa has already claimed dozens of lives across the Caribbean, including at least 23 deaths in Haiti, according to that country’s Civil Protection Agency.
Melissa has now weakened to a tropical storm as it moves away from the island chain, but meteorologists warn that heavy rainfall and flash flooding remain possible in parts of Jamaica and the Cayman Islands through the end of the week.
News Blend 360 will continue to monitor this developing story and provide updates as more information becomes available.
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