Hurricane Melissa made landfall in southwest Jamaica this week near the coastal town of Black River, which the government has described as “ground zero.”

Authorities report at least 30 people have been killed in Haiti and 19 in Jamaica as a result of the devastating storm.

When the storm grew into Category 5 Hurricane Melissa, the couple’s flight home was canceled. Unable to book another flight home, with the main airport closed, they were stranded in the storm’s path. They barricaded their room’s windows with furniture, and took shelter in the bathroom.

On October 28, 2025, Hurricane Melissa, a Category 5 superstorm with sustained winds of 185 mph, bore down on Jamaica, threatening the island's 2.8 million residents with what officials called "catastrophic" damage.

As airports in Jamaica slowly reopen following Hurricane Melissa, relief efforts are also beginning to pour into the island. From a private hangar at Miami International Airport, one of the first planes bound for Kingston was loaded with hundreds of pounds of supplies coordinated by reggae superstar Norville "Shaggy" Rogers.

Hannah Grubbs, a content creator with over 150,000 followers on TikTok, has been criticized over her Hurricane Melissa videos.

A tourist visiting Jamaica described the record-breaking Hurriane Melissa as "a freight train with a jet engine."

Thursday, Oct. 30, 2025, 2 a.m. ET The National Hurricane Center's 2 a.m. Thursday update reported that there were numerous changes. Melissa developed into a Category 3 hurricane, before weakening to a Category 2 hurricane.