Lead Stories

Duane Bryan stands in front of his flattened home in Comfort Castle, Portland, on Thursday, after Hurricane Melissa swept through.
December 9, 2025 by Gareth Davis Sr

‘I’m still breathing’

Duane Bryan knew his board house wouldn’t survive Hurricane Melissa. So hours before the storm made landfall, the Portland farmer left his home in the upper Rio Grande Valley, Portland. When he…
A section of a Hurricane Melissa-battered roadway in St Elizabeth.
December 9, 2025 by Albert Ferguson

‘Everything gone’

WESTERN BUREAU: Veteran fisherman Howard Moxam stood solemnly on the battered shoreline of Treasure Beach, St Elizabeth, his weathered gaze fixed on the restless sea that had stripped him of nearly…
Residents of Cornwall Street in Falmouth, Trelawny, look at the damage done to their homes and possessions after the passage of Hurricane Melissa, which swept through the island on Tuesday.
December 9, 2025 by Edmond Campbell

LONG ROAD TO RECOVERY

There was a pall of gloom hanging over Black River, St Elizabeth, yesterday, as four bodies, three men and a woman, were discovered after being washed up by floodwaters generated by the fury of…
Ruth Lyn Deer is moved to tears as she recounts her experience during Hurricane Melissa, which led to a section of her roof being ripped off her home in Lacovia.
December 9, 2025 by Ashanti Lawson

‘I cried the whole night’

Reaching Cobie Ridge – a quiet settlement about seven miles southeast of Black River and roughly five miles from Santa Cruz– on Wednesday was no easy feat. Fallen trees, light poles, and broken…
Onlookers view houses and motor vehicles that were left submerged on Gibson Close in Mandeville, Manchester, after the passage of Hurricane Melissa.
December 9, 2025 by Sashana Small

Firefighters save Mandeville residents from flooded homes

Residents of Gibson Close, off Ward Avenue, in Mandeville had faced flooding before, but never one severe enough to submerge their homes. On Tuesday, as Hurricane Melissa battered the area,…
Betty-Lyn Brown, a 60-year-old resident of Compound in Alligator Pond, Manchester, explains how a section of her house got washed awayed during the passage of Hurricane Melissa on Tuesday.
December 9, 2025 by Sashana Small

‘I’m homeless now’

Betty-Lyn Brown struggled to hold back tears as she recounted the horror she experienced on Tuesday when Hurricane Melissa tore through her coastal community in Alligator Pond, Manchester. The…
Ann Marie Young’s two-bedroom house that was damaged by a fallen tree in Roaring River in St Ann. Young’s daughter suffered a broken leg during the mishap on Tuesday Night after the passing of Hurricane Melissa.
December 9, 2025 by Tanesha Mundle

St Ann faces long road to recovery

Hurricane Melissa has left St Ann in ruins, with homes destroyed, roofs torn off, businesses damaged, and families struggling with loss and uncertainty. Across the parish, residents are counting their…
A section of The Estuary in St James was seen flooded a day after the passage of the Category 5 Hurricane Melissa.
December 9, 2025 by Adrian Frater

MoBay devastated

Western Bureau” When the sun rose on Wednesday morning, Montego Bay was a shadow of its former self. The popular tourism gem, once known for its lively streets and welcoming beaches, had been torn…
Edward David Marston, farmer of Baillieston, Clarendon, clears a section of his 15-acre farm which was damaged during the passage of Hurricane Melissa.
December 9, 2025 by Karen Madden

Farmer Marston reflects on the worst storm of his life

Food security will be a major concern as Jamaica begins to recover from the devastating impact of Hurricane Melissa. The issue extends beyond local consumption, as much of the country’s agricultural…