Hurricane Melissa Leaves Jamaica With Estimated US$8.8B in Damage

Jamaica is facing the most expensive natural disaster in its history after Hurricane Melissa caused an estimated US$8.8 billion in physical damage. The figure was released by the World Bank and the Inter-American Development Bank (IDB), which said the storm wiped out the equivalent of 41% of Jamaica’s entire GDP for 2024.

Hurricane Melissa struck Jamaica on October 28, 2025, as a catastrophic Category Five storm with 185-mile-per-hour winds, making it one of the strongest Atlantic hurricanes on record.

The damage was severe and widespread. According to the Associated Press, at least 45 people were killed, 15 remain missing, and thousands were left homeless as flooding and collapsed roads cut off entire communities. The UN reported that 36,000 people required urgent food assistance.

In early November, Jamaica received a US$150 million payout from its catastrophe bond, offering a crucial financial lifeline. However, the support covers only a fraction of the now-estimated US$8.8 billion in damage.

Preliminary findings from the World Bank show that homes suffered the most impacts at 41% of total damage, followed by infrastructure at 33%, non-residential buildings at 21%, and agriculture at 5%, including losses to livestock and farm facilities. Although agriculture saw fewer physical losses, the assessment warns that farmers are likely to feel the economic impact for months to come.

In the joint statement, World Bank Vice President Susana Cordeiro Guerra praised Jamaicans for their resilience and said the Bank stands ready to help the country rebuild “lives and restore opportunity.”

The damage estimate comes from a GRADE assessment, a rapid tool funded by the Global Facility for Disaster Reduction and Recovery and Japan’s Ministry of Finance, designed to give governments an early picture of what it will take to recover.