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STORY: UNICEF / JAMAICA MELISSA HURRICANE
TRT: 05:33
SOURCE: UNICEF
RESTRICTIONS: PLEASE CREDIT UNICEF ON SCREEN
LANGUAGE: ENGLISH / NATS
DATELINE: 29 OCTOBER 2025, GOSHEN AND SANTA CRUZ, ST ELIZABETH, JAMAICA
1. Aerial shots, destructions across sections of southwestern Jamaica were caused by Category 5 Hurricane Melissa, leaving several homes and communities destroyed
2. Aerial shots, flooded house, destruction
3. Various shot, St. Elizabeth Technical High School in Santa Cruz, where roof and walls were blown away by Hurricane Melissa.
4. SOUNDBITE(English) Olga Isaza, Representative in Jamaica, UNICEF:
“We are here in Saint Elizabeth in Lacovia, trying to reach the people that are more in need. And it's impossible. We left Kingston at 9 a.m. and now it's 4 p.m. and we have been on the road all day long without possibility to enter to the most affected specific places. Community and the authorities are working hard to clean up all the roads. But it's very, very difficult to access. And we are seeing the people with anxiety trying to reach they relatives, their parents, and they are stuck on the road. I mean, it's impossible because of the amount of trees that fell down is amazing and all the roads are blocked. So, UNICEF is here trying to reach children, trying to help them to really provide all the supplies that they need. And we will continue to do the same. Please help us. The impact is huge, and the amount of need is amazingly huge. So your contribution, your solidarity with Jamaican people is critical. I know the people of Jamaica, they are lions and we are here with them trying to help them to go through this difficult moment. But they really need support. So, we count on you.”
Several days of torrential rains, storm surges and catastrophic flooding caused by Hurricane Melissa have impacted the lives of more than 700,000 children across the Caribbean, according to UNICEF estimates.
The strong storm that directly hit Jamaica and Cuba and affected the Caribbean islands of Haiti and the Dominican Republic has left a heavy toll of displaced children and families. Infrastructure has been left broken, crops destroyed, and essential services such as health and education have been disrupted.
“In the wake of relentless floods across the Caribbean, hundreds of thousands of children have seen their lives upended suddenly,” said Roberto Benes Regional Director for Latin America and the Caribbean. “Children urgently need food, safe drinking water and sanitation, access to health and nutrition services and a path back to education.”
The distribution of prepositioned essential supplies for children has already begun while needs assessments and response planning with partners continue.
However, many of the hardest-hit communities are extremely difficult to reach due to damaged infrastructure and ongoing flooding.
Families are trapped in submerged neighbourhoods without power or remained in shelters, and access to clean water and sanitation is critically compromised.
In Jamaica, where Melissa made landfall as a category 5 hurricane, UNICEF has initially allocated US$1 million to support immediate emergency response. The funding will help deliver urgent assistance to children and families affected by the widespread devastation. UNICEF is supporting the government to reach more than 284,000 children to address urgent nutrition needs, access to safe water, sanitation and hygiene including mental health support.
