Lead Stories

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…
Residents of Cornwall Street, Compound in Trelawny look at the damage done to their homes after the passage of Hurricane Melissa, which swept through the island on October 28.
December 9, 2025 by Livern Barrett

Trelawny 'like a war zone'

Numerous roofless buildings, flooded streets, downed light posts and electrical wires, along with countless sheets of zinc strewn almost everywhere, stood as tell-tale signs of the trail of…
Denise 'Macka' Sinclair, of Bottom Halse Hall in Clarendon, says Hurricane Melissa caused the sinkhole behind her house to rise to window level so she had to run out due of fear.
December 9, 2025 by Karen Madden

Melissa revisits trauma on Halse Hall family

Haunted by memories of their matriarch who they lost during flood rains in 2021, a family in Bottom Halse Hall, Clarendon was forced to flee their home as flood waters from a nearby pond, swollen by…
Jesse Samuel, fisherman of Rocky Point in Clarendon, said even though his house was damaged during the passage of Hurricane Melissa on Tuesday, he is giving thanks for life and that his boat engines were spared. He his making plans to head out to sea by th
December 9, 2025 by Karen Madden

A horrible day in Rocky Point

Unlike Hurricane Beryl last year, Hurricane Melissa did not wreak widespread destruction on the fishing village of Rocky Point in Clarendon. However, having fled Pedro Cays ahead of this week's…
One of three homes damaged along Walker’s Avenue in Portmore, St Catherine, on Tuesday after a large tree was felled by Hurricane Melissa’s fierce winds.
December 9, 2025 by Kimone Francis

RAVAGED

Hurricane Melissa tore through Jamaica’s western parishes on Tuesday, leaving behind widespread destruction, catastrophic flooding, and crippling infrastructure damage in what officials are calling…
A downed power pole in the vicinity of the Bustamante Hospital for Children on Arthur Wint Drive in St Andrew yesterday.
December 9, 2025

Wrath of Melissa

Hurricane Melissa has departed Jamaica and left in her wake scenes of devastation and anguish. While the true scale of the destruction will be revealed in the coming days, images from across the…
A section of Duke Street in downtown Kingston was yesterday impassable as a result of a downed tree blocking the road.
December 9, 2025 by Corey Robinson

Kingston spared

Had Hurricane Melissa made landfall in Kingston, Jamaica’s capital and most populated city, the effects of the Category 5 disaster would have been far more cataclysmic, structural and environmental…
An elderly woman was seen sheltering beneath the eave of a business place along East Street in Kingston during the passage of Hurricane Melissa. ‘Empress’, as she introduced herself, said she was barred from entering a shelter with her dog. Instead of
December 9, 2025 by Andre Williams

Empress braves Melissa with ‘Police’ after shelter says ‘No Pets Allowed’

They say a dog is man’s best friend but, if 76-year-old ‘Empress’ had her way, she would not only change that saying to a human’s best friend, but would also ask that humans be kinder to her…
United States Congresswoman Yvette Clarke, head of the Congressional Black Caucus and whose parents are Jamaicans.
December 9, 2025 by Lester Hinds

J’can community in US being mobilised for post-Melissa relief

NEW YORK: United States Congresswoman Yvette Clarke yesterday pledged her full support to Jamaica as Hurricane Melissa continued to impact the island. In a statement issued on Tuesday, Clarke – who…