Debbie-Ann Gordon | Westmoreland: At the epicentre of Hurricane Melissa’s wrath

With winds stronger than those required for Category 5 designation, Hurricane Melissa made landfall in New Hope, Westmoreland, on October 28. Forecasts pointed to eastern Westmoreland and western St Elizabeth, but the storm shifted at the last moment and delivered its full force onto the parish.

Already one of Jamaica’s most vulnerable parishes, Westmoreland now faces unprecedented devastation. For survivors, words are wind in a hurricane; only action builds shelter — something the people proved through immediate self-help and unity.

GEOGRAPHY, HOUSING, AND VULNERABILITY

Westmoreland’s coastline, plains, limestone hills, valleys, and rivers have long shaped its beauty and agricultural strength. Under Hurricane Melissa, these same features intensified destruction: storm surge carved new channels, roads became rivers, and entire districts were cut off. The parish has one of Jamaica’s highest concentrations of wooden homes, but Hurricane Melissa did not discriminate. Wooden, concrete, and stone houses were destroyed.

Electricity infrastructure collapsed parishwide, triggering failures across cellular networks. Westmoreland remains largely without power, a stark measure of the parish’s flattening. Water systems broke down. Food stores, fuel stations, and ATMs shuttered. Debris and flooding blocked access to work, schools, farms, and medical care. With annual rainfall approaching 1,900 mm in some districts, damaged roofs and unstable homes remain dangerous as rains continue.

LIVES, LAND, AND LIVELIHOODS

Families in Westmoreland have lived on their land for generations, often without a formal title. Jamaican law recognises long, peaceful occupation. Hurricane Melissa presents an opportunity to regularise and protect these relationships, not displace them. Economically, Westmoreland was long strained. Policies ended the sugar belt without replacing it. Small-scale commerce and hotels provide limited gains. Farmers pushed away from cane face high input costs, unstable markets, and insufficient support. Youth employment remains low-paying and inconsistent.

Hurricane Melissa reminded us why sugar was once king: few crops survive hurricane winds and flooding like cane. Even after days underwater, canefields bent but held, indicating some harvest and helping offset national shortages. Other crops and livestock losses, however, have been devastating. Many fields remain buried under debris. Essential tools, equipment, and planting materials have not reached farmers. Missing this short planting window risks no income for up to a year, food shortages, and long-term livelihood damage.

HUMAN TOLL

Displacement is now the shared experience across the parish, so widespread, it risks becoming normalised. Communities have reported deaths, missing relatives, and illness. Structured rescue operations and proper verification are urgently needed. These realities are personal, not distant observations.

FORMAL RESCUE AND ON-THE-GROUND ASSESSMENT

Being on the ground 24 hours after landfall and in the field for over 36 days following, many communities still have not received formal rescue support. Vulnerable groups, including the elderly, pregnant women, children, and those at risk of exploitation, now face greater danger with limited access to medicine, clean water, communication, and electricity. Satellite imagery cannot capture damage hidden under trees or within informal settlements.

Even the World Bank notes that satellite-only reviews are insufficient for decision-making. A verified, community informed, on-the-ground assessment must guide budget allocations and interventions. Residents who know the terrain, footpaths, and gully lines must participate. Without them, entire communities risk exclusion. Accurate field assessments are essential to determine the level of government and international support required.

IMMEDIATE NEEDS

1. A formal rescue process, which appears to have been bypassed or slow in happening. Verification of actual deaths, locating and accounting for missing persons, treating the injured and chronically ill, verifying casualties, and providing immediate, safe, rain-free shelter are essential.

2. Debris clearance and road restoration, allowing residents to return to work, schools, markets, and farms.

3. Agricultural support, including equipment, clearing tools, planting materials, and other essentials, before the planting season closes.

4. Access to community-level medicine, clean water, and food, especially for vulnerable households.

The Ministry of Labour launched an online self-reporting form in late November to capture households missed earlier. But, with much of Westmoreland still lacking electricity, stable internet, and reliable phones, directing residents to find or submit “online” is unrealistic and highlights a disconnect between policy and parish realities.

SPECIAL RECOVERY STATUS

Westmoreland is not simply “one parish among many”. It is a major disaster zone. Its geographic exposure, fragile housing stock, weak rural infrastructure, and long-standing socioeconomic challenges require a designed recovery programme, not standardised procedures. Without this, historical inequities will deepen.

LEVERAGING LOCAL CAPACITY

In the earliest hours, heavy-equipment operators, farmers, youth, and entire communities cleared roads long before formal assistance arrived. National routes were restored only later. The parish’s first responders were its own people. But goodwill cannot sustain long-term recovery. Coordinated funding and technical support are urgently needed.

BUILDING BACK WITH JUSTICE

Recovery must address long-standing vulnerabilities: irregular land tenure, inadequate infrastructure, fragile housing, and limited economic options. Hurricane Melissa did not create these issues; it exposed them. Rebuilding must be equitable and rooted in genuine partnership with the people themselves. They were the first responders, clearing roads, rescuing neighbours, and they must be at the centre of the rebuilding effort. The nation must stand firmly beside them so this parish is not left to recover alone.

Debbie-Ann Gordon is a native of Westmoreland, the child of a cane farmer, and an attorney-at-law. Send feedback to columns@gleanerjm.com