Hurricane Melissa Strikes Caribbean, Leaves 21 Dead in Haiti

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Hurricane Melissa left at least 25 people dead in Haiti after making landfall in Jamaica earlier this week. 

According to the Associated Press, the storm has caused 25 confirmed deaths after heavy rain resulted in Haiti's La Digue River overflowing in the southern coastal town of Petit-Goâve, flooding homes.

“I am overwhelmed by the situation,” said Petit-Goâve Mayor Jean Bertrand Subrème, who urged the government for assistance to help victims. 

Meanwhile, roughly 25,000 people were sheltered in Jamaica, at least one person has died, and about 77% of the island was without power, The Christian Post reported.

Jamaica's Prime Minister, Andrew Holness, included a video of the damage and wrote on X:

“I am now in St. James where we are continuing our damage assessment.
The residents here have suffered significant damage including severe flooding.
Despite the difficulties the Jamaican spirit shines through as a strong reminder that we are a resilient nation with the capacity to triumph over adversity.”

I am now in St James where we are continuing our damage assessment.
The residents here have suffered significant damage including severe flooding.
Despite the difficulties the Jamaican spirit shines through as a strong reminder that we are a resilient nation with the capacity to… pic.twitter.com/dPDL8Evjnb

 

— Andrew Holness (@AndrewHolnessJM) October 29, 2025

According to Samaritan’s Purse, the evangelical charity organization led by Franklin Graham, Hurricane Melissa was “the most powerful hurricane ever recorded to hit Jamaica.” The organization was gearing up to airlift immediate relief to Jamaica in the wake of the storm.

“We thank God that our @SamaritansPurse 757 was able to deploy to Jamaica this morning with 38,000 pounds of relief supplies to help in Jesus’ Name,” Franklin wrote. “The situation on the ground is heartbreaking. Entire towns are ripped apart, flooded, and left in ruins. Power lines are down and major roads are washed away or blocked—over 25,000 people have been admitted to Jamaica’s emergency shelters. Please continue to pray.”

We thank God that our @SamaritansPurse 757 was able to deploy to Jamaica this morning with 38,000 pounds of relief supplies to help in Jesus’ Name. The situation on the ground is heartbreaking. Entire towns are ripped apart, flooded, and left in ruins. Power lines are down and… pic.twitter.com/WtcgyQhBJC

— Franklin Graham (@Franklin_Graham) October 30, 2025

The hurricane made landfall in eastern Cuba as a Category 3 storm on Wednesday, causing significant damage and leaving around 140,000 people cut off by rising river levels, CNN reports.

The storm then moved toward the Bahamas and is expected to reach Bermuda as a Category 1 or 2 hurricane Thursday night, ABC News reported.

Photo Credit: ©GettyImages/FrankRamspott

Milton Quintanilla is a freelance writer and content creator. He is a contributing writer for CrosswalkHeadlines and the host of the For Your Soul Podcast, a podcast devoted to sound doctrine and biblical truth. He holds a Masters of Divinity from Alliance Theological Seminary.