Hurricane Melissa’s devastation of the Caribbean nations of Jamaica, Cuba, the Dominican Republic and Haiti continued to unfold in the wake of more than 30 fatalities attributed to the Category 5 storm. Some flood waters across the Caribbean have been receding and recovery and cleanup efforts remain challenging.
Jamaica’s death toll rose to 32, and other deaths are being investigated, reported government officials. While some main corridors reopened, a challenge has been people removing road closures, explained Robert Nester Morgan, Minister of Works, in a Nov. 3 press briefing.
“If you don’t have any business in the western end of the island, please do not go. The traffic pileup is actually creating a risk to persons’ lives or inability to efficiently transport relief supplies to the region because of persons coming out of their vehicle and sightseeing …, he continued.
Pearnel Charles Jr., minister of Labor and Social Security, stated that so far, 25 communities have been marooned—meaning they are still cut off from essential services—and several families have lost everything. “This hurricane has tested our nation in ways that we could not have imagined,” he said.
On the ground, he’s observed communities totally cut off, houses swallowed up, and lives uprooted in several parishes. “We feel the heartbreak of the families and the people that are trapped, those that are hungry, those that are uncertain. But I want them to be assured that we are working as seriously with all of our partners to provide relief as quickly as possible,” said Mr. Charles.
He acknowledged organizations and faith-based organizations that have been assisting in providing 30,000 food packages, water, medicine, and shelter to those most in need.
Desmond McKenzie, minister of Local Government and Community Development, reported that 186 shelters remained open across 12 parishes, housing approximately 2,500 persons.
A countrywide cleanup campaign is being planned, he said.
Nation of Islam (N.O.I.) Jamaica Study Group Student Minister Clive Muhammad said now is the time to rally efforts, organize care packages, food and toiletries, something to show Allah (God) gratitude for His Mercy.
He reflected on one survivor, he said, who lost everything except the clothes on his back and a set of clothes in a bag. Many don’t have a place to lay their heads, a roof over their head, a house, or a teapot.
But this brother, who lost everything, said, “Many persons are still worse off than I am,” shared Student Min. Clive Muhammad. “Allah has been merciful to this small (N.O.I.) community in Jamaica … it seems as if we have been unscathed,” he said.
In Haiti, more than 20 were missing and thousands have been displaced, said government officials. These figures remain provisional as assessments continue.
Hurricane Melissa’s torrential rains, not a direct hit, caused catastrophic flooding, collapsed roads and damage that is still being assessed. Haiti declared a three-day national mourning November 3-5. According to The Haitian American, a non-profit advocacy organization.
Haiti’s three days of mourning called for its flag to fly at half-mast on all public buildings nationwide, entertainment venues to close their doors, and radio, television stations, and other media outlets to air somber, circumstance-appropriate programming and music, with no festive broadcasts allowed.
In tandem with the mourning period, the government declared a three-month state of emergency in six heavily impacted areas: South, Southeast, Grand’Anse, Nippes, West, and Northwest.
Effective from November 3 through February 3, 2026, the measure aims to streamline relief operations, expedite aid distribution to affected populations, and support the gradual restoration of essential services, The Haitian American noted.
“Hurricane Melissa has brought profound loss and hardship to our nation,” stated Brother Joseph Makhandal Muhammad, Haitian representative of the Nation of Islam. “Our immediate priorities are clear: safeguard life, restore access, and prevent disease outbreaks,” he said.
The initial damage overview includes severed roads due to flooding, which has isolated parts of Jacmel, complicating the delivery of aid, according to Bro. Makhandal Muhammad.
“We had just celebrated the 30th Anniversary of the Million Man March in Haiti, particularly in that area, in Jacmel, on October 19. And by the Grace of Allah (God), none of our members were affected directly by this storm, so we are grateful to Allah for this miracle, because that’s where they are located, in Jacmel, in the South,” he stated.
Their compound was intact, except for a portion of tinfoil that was stripped, he said.
“The prayers of the believers availeth much and especially the prayer of the Honorable Minister Louis Farrakhan for our people in the Caribbean. Also, Jamaica, the Dominican Republic and Cuba were affected.
And by the Grace of Allah, as a people, we remain resilient but of course there were so many casualties that have to be accounted for. We just have to make sure that we continue to reach out to each other, support each other, because this is the hour where we truly need to make real the principle of unity,” he stated.
“We extend our deepest condolences to every family in mourning and our gratitude to the first responders, health workers, and neighbors who continue to serve,” he added.
Flooded sites and health facilities in affected areas heightened the risks of water‑borne disease. But health partners have mobilized medical and water, sanitation and hygiene supplies for priority communes, he said.
He said the path to a measure of normalcy in Haiti, subject to access, security, and funding, was estimated to be one to three weeks to reopen priority routes with debris clearance, temporary river crossings, and spot repairs; stabilize shelter conditions (safe water, sanitation, vector control);
Resume regular aid distributions to hard‑hit communes; one to three months for broader road works, repairs to schools/clinics, and livelihood support for households that lost crops and inventory; and three to six months for structural road rehabilitation, durable housing repairs, and full restoration of essential services in the most affected localities.
Meanwhile, New Delhi, India, sent a shipment of humanitarian aid to Cuba and Jamaica, announced Foreign Minister Subrahmanyan Jaishankar on X. The shipment, totaling 20 tons for each country, departed from New Delhi on Nov. 4 and includes essential items for rehabilitation, food, medicine, medical equipment, generators, hygiene kits, and other supplies.
And like Haiti, while Hurricane Melissa did not make landfall in the Dominican Republic, it reportedly caused two deaths. Strong winds and rains left nearly 200 homes damaged, knocked out water supply systems, affecting more than half a million customers.
And downed trees and traffic lights, according to Al Jazeera. The hurricane also unleashed a couple of landslides and left more than two dozen communities isolated by flood waters, the outlet reported.