The Caribbean: Hurricane Melissa - Flash Update No. 6 (as of 14 November 2025)

KEY POINTS

• Hurricane Melissa affected more than 5 million people across Jamaica, Cuba, and Haiti, causing extensive damage to infrastructure and essential services.
• Access remains severely constrained, with debris, landslides, and damaged roads cutting off multiple communities in all three countries.
• More than 700 health facilities were damaged, and rising waterborne and vector-borne disease risks are reported, especially in eastern Cuba.
• UN and partners continue to support Government-led responses in the three countries.

SITUATION OVERVIEW

Hurricane Melissa, one of the most powerful storms ever recorded in the Atlantic, hit southwestern Jamaica on 28 October as a Category 5 system—the worst hurricane to hit the area since 1988—before crossing into eastern Cuba as a Category 3 the following day. Other neighbouring countries, such as Haiti, were also affected, with more than 5 million people impacted across the three countries.
The hurricane caused extensive damage to infrastructure, triggered widespread power and communication outages, and blocked roads with debris and landslides, leaving several communities cut off.
Hundreds of healthcare facilities, including hospitals, primary healthcare centres, and pharmacies have been severely damaged across the Caribbean, including 642 health facilities in Cuba, 54 in Jamaica, and 10 in Haiti. These disruptions have severely affected access to essential health services.

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