Hundreds seek shelter in Manchester amid flooding, power outages
Published:Wednesday | October 29, 2025 | 12:10 AMSashana Small/Staff Reporter
Flooded streets, uprooted trees, and toppled light posts littered Mandeville, Manchester, on Tuesday as Hurricane Melissa unleashed its full fury in the mid-island parish.
The central parish suffered extensive damage after the Category 5 hurricane made landfall in neighbouring St Elizabeth around midday.
“I know a lot of families are hurting at this time, in terms of what they’ve lost or what has happened, but so far, we have not heard of anyone who have lost their lives,” Mandeville Mayor Donovan Mitchell told The Gleaner.
There were also reports of flooding in other nearby communities.
In the coastal community of Alligator Pond, one resident told The Gleaner via telephone that rising floodwaters had trapped them in their homes.
“Based on what I’ve been hearing, they have to be moved more inland, deeper inland, based on the sea, storm surges and so on,” Mitchell said.
He added that homes in Alligator Pond and the southern town of Porus sustained significant roof damage, while the New Forest community reported severe flooding.
Several major roads in Mandeville – including deCarteret, Caledonia, and Greenvale – were inundated, prompting advisories for motorists to avoid the area.
The mayor further disclosed that 26 shelters were activated across the parish, and up to yesterday, 200 people had been taken in.
Rescue operations led by the Jamaica Fire Brigade were also conducted in a community off Ward Avenue, where rising floodwaters submerged a home, forcing residents on to their roofs.
At the entrance to the Mandeville Regional Hospital, a lone car was completely submerged. In response, the Southern Regional Health Authority issued an advisory directing the public to alternate routes to access the facility.
Manchester was among the parishes hardest hit by widespread power outages. Up to 4 p.m., approximately 530,000 customers – about 77 per cent of Jamaica Public Service Company (JPS) users – lost electricity as Hurricane Melissa battered the island.
The parishes of St Elizabeth, Manchester, Hanover, and St James were among the hardest hit by the weather system, with an estimated 75 per cent of customers left without power.
While he awaits official assessments of the damage caused by the storm, Mitchell, nonetheless, forecasted a grim picture.