Hurricane Melissa made landfall in southwest Jamaica near the coastal town of Black River, which the government has described as 'ground zero.'

Storm-ravaged communities in western Jamaica were facing dire straits Sunday, days after record-setting Hurricane Melissa left towns demolished and at least 28 people dead across the island. Melissa became the most intense storm to make landfall in 90 years when it barreled into Jamaica last Tuesday as a Category 5 hurricane packing winds of 185 miles (300 kilometers) per hour.

Follow live updates on Hurricane Melissa as the death toll reaches 38 people. Recovery efforts are underway in Jamaica, Haiti, Cuba and the Dominican Republic.

Mercy Chefs, a disaster relief organization, has established operations on Jamaica’s west side in St. Elizabeth, an area that had received minimal assistance until now, according to the organization’s founder and CEO Gary LeBlanc.

On Oct. 28, 2025 Hurricane Melissa— one of the strongest Atlantic hurricanes on record —slammed into the west coast of Jamaica. It brought 185 mph peak winds, destroying 90% of homes in the Black River area and leaving at least 50 dead —a count that will surely rise as search and rescue continues.

In Jamaica, the destruction comes just 15 months after Hurricane Beryl impacted more than 50,000 farmers and 11,000 fishers, and caused $4.73 billion Jamaican dollars (about $29 million) in losses, according to the Ministry of Agriculture, Fisheries and Mining.

Rescuers and aid workers have spread across Jamaica to deliver food and water after Hurricane Melissa ravaged the island.

At least 19 people have died in Jamaica as a result of Hurricane Melissa, Information Minister Dana Morris Dixon says, as search and rescue efforts continue and authorities try to get aid to hard-hit areas. The hurricane, one of the most powerful to strike the Caribbean, also killed at least 30 people in Haiti, officials say.