Hurricane Melissa is expected to make landfall in Jamaica as a major Category 4 or 5 hurricane – the first storm of this magnitude to hit Jamaica in known history.
“We’re expecting hurricane conditions starting tomorrow, later into this evening and a part of tomorrow,” says Esther Pinnock, Communications Officer for Jamaica Red Cross. “Heavy rainfall will be experienced.”
Pinnock was speaking on Sunday 26 October, a day before the storm’s earliest predicted landfall. Forecasters expect Melissa to make landfall on Monday 27 October or Tuesday 28 October.
“Some sections of the island are already experiencing this rainfall and gusty winds,” Pinnock continued. “Based on the trajectory and expectation of the hurricane, we know that there are already some areas, those that we would have already intervened in, like Portland Cottage, Rocky Point and areas of Saint Catherine that are vulnerable.”
Melissa will make landfall in Jamaica while communities are still recovering from Hurricane Beryl. This storm is expected to impact the country just 16 months after Hurricane Beryl devastated farming and fishing communities and caused USD 204 million in damage. Coastal households are still recovering financially and lack the resources to prepare for another storm.
Flooding is expected to be worse than Beryl, due to Melissa’s slow movement and antecedent moisture from inclement weather over the past weeks. Low-lying areas remain highly vulnerable to storm surges and flooding, while Kingston’s informal settlements face significant risks of wind damage.
Local Red Cross teams across Jamaica are already on the ground — taking early action, supporting alerts and evacuations, and positioning relief for the most at-risk families.
Jamaica Red Cross is coordinating and receiving data from the Jamaica Information Service of the known vulnerable areas, and the local teams anticipate that there will be severe events to which the Red Cross will have to respond.
Staff and volunteers are prepared to immediately replenish distributed supplies and complement emergency stock, conduct damage and needs assessments to identify critical needs, operate emergency shelters for displaced populations, and establish feedback and complaint mechanisms to ensure accountability to affected communities.
“We will also be collecting information on persons who may be stranded and making those connections with the necessary entities as we get such reports”, Pinnock adds. “I also want to be highlighting to the public that after the storm passes, we’re going to be talking about our Restoring Family Links service and how that can be accessed.”
The IFRC has since launched an emergency appeal for 19 million Swiss francs to support the Jamaican Red Cross emergency response and recovery efforts.
Powered by forecasts and early action, the Jamaica Red Cross has been mobilized for a week ahead of Melissa.
With 165,000 people potentially at risk across the parishes of Saint Elizabeth, Manchester, Clarendon, Saint Catherine, Saint Andrew, Kingston, Saint Thomas, and Portland, the IFRC Disaster Response Emergency Fund (IFRC-DREF) has allocated CHF 80,000 for imminent action.
These funds have allowed our local teams to activate volunteers, preposition relief supplies, and support alerts and evacuations. In schools, community centres, and places of worship across the eight targeted parishes, the Red Cross has supported the preparation of emergency shelters in the days and hours leading up to Melissa’s anticipated arrival. Local Red Cross teams have also pre-positioned emergency supplies—including 250 shelter kits, 250 hygiene kits, 250 cleaning kits, tarps, drinking water, and other essential items—in local branches and designated shelters before the storm arrives.
Additionally, trained volunteers have been deployed with necessary communication equipment, transportation, safety gear, and visibility items.
As storms and hurricanes like Melissa intensify faster and response time shrinks, investing in anticipation saves lives and resources. Acting before disaster strikes makes every dollar and every minute count.