Hurricane Melissa struck Jamaica Oct. 28 as a Category 5 storm
In Jamaica, Hurricane Melissa “has left a trail of heartbreak across our beloved island,” the Diocese of Montego Bay said — and now parishes, schools and other communities throughout the Caribbean are seeking help as they begin the arduous task of rebuilding and healing after the deadly storm.
As of Nov. 4, at least 75 were confirmed killed by the storm. Official totals of the numbers killed by the storm are still being calculated as recovery efforts continue.
According to the United Nations, Hurricane Melissa impacted some 6 million in the Caribbean, with Jamaica, Haiti and Cuba the hardest hit.
Speaking Nov. 4, Jamaica’s Prime Minister Andrew Holness said the hurricane had caused home and infrastructure damage equivalent to about one third of the nation’s 2024 gross domestic product.
In a Nov. 5 Facebook post, the Diocese of Montego Bay said that “from St. Ann to Westmoreland, families are struggling — churches have lost their roofs, classrooms are flooded, and communities of faith are gathering in the open air to pray for strength.”
Photos and video posted by the diocese on its Facebook timeline in the wake of the storm show splintered trees, heavily damaged buildings and flooded streets.
The church of St. Joseph Parish in Sav la Mar was completely razed by the hurricane, the parish reported in a Nov. 1 Facebook post.
One clip uploaded by the Diocese of Montego Bay shows St. Mary Church and its school, located in Cambridge, with the roofs of both structures sheared off. Water pours across the grounds and adjacent road, coursing over downed power lines and broken branches.
But “even in this devastation, our faith stands firm,” the Diocese of Montego Bay said in its Nov. 5 post. “The Church remains – serving, comforting, and rebuilding in the name of Christ.”
The diocese said it has launched the Hurricane Melissa Relief Fund, which can be accessed online at givesendgo.com/Jamaica, “to provide immediate food, water, and shelter — and to begin rebuilding homes, churches, and centers across Jamaica.”
Catholic Relief Services, the official overseas humanitarian and development agency of the U.S. Conference of Catholic Bishops, has also established a fund to aid Hurricane Melissa victims in Jamaica, Haiti and Cuba, which can be accessed online at crs.org/donate/hurricane-melissa.
“Please join us in prayer and action,” the Diocese of Montego Bay wrote in an Oct. 28 Facebook post. “Let us rebuild with faith.”
