The authorities have yet to reach dozens of areas in Jamaica, raising the question of how many people really died in last week’s storm.

Lancelot Radcliffe was in tears near the Sangster International Airport, which remained closed on Thursday, east of Montego Bay, Jamaica, after Hurricane Melissa.

Roofs had flown off buildings, boulders tumbled through roads and some families were reportedly trapped in their homes by floodwaters Tuesday.

Hurricane Melissa struck Jamaica’s southwestern coast as a catastrophic Category 5 storm with 185 mph winds, causing widespread destruction. Videos show severe damage in St. Elizabeth Parish, including a roof collapse at Black River Hospital.

Adrian Salmon is the only one of his family to live outside Jamaica, describing the hopeless feeling of watching the storm come in and now seeing the devastation.

Black River residents scavenge for food on the streets following the passage of Hurricane Melissa in Santa Cruz, St. Elizabeth, Jamaica on Oct. 29, 2025. Black River residents scavenge for food on the streets following the passage of Hurricane Melissa in Santa Cruz,

On October 28, 2025, Hurricane Melissa, a Category 5 superstorm with sustained winds of 185 mph, bore down on Jamaica, threatening the island's 2.8 million residents with what officials called "catastrophic" damage.

Help is on the way in the form of hurricane relief support for residents in St Elizabeth and Westmoreland who were severely impacted by Hurricane Melissa through the United States-based non-profit organisation,