Number of Persons in Emergency Shelters Due to Hurricane Melissa Declines
By: , October 30, 2025
Photo: Michael Slolely
Minister of Local Government and Community Development, Hon. Desmond McKenzie, provides an update on post-Hurricane Melissa emergency shelter occupancy during a media briefing at Jamaica House on Thursday (October 30).The Full Story
As national recovery efforts continue following the passage of Hurricane Melissa, the number of Jamaicans remaining in emergency shelters has declined to approximately 13,000 – a significant reduction compared to previous days.
Speaking during a media briefing at Jamaica House on Thursday (October 30), Minister of Local Government and Community Development, Hon. Desmond McKenzie, reported that of the more than 800 designated emergency shelters islandwide, only 521 remain fully operational.
“The numbers in the shelters would have reduced substantially over the last day, because many persons who went to the shelter out of precaution have left those facilities and have gone back home,” he said.
Minister McKenzie noted that communication remains difficult in four parishes severely affected by Hurricane Melissa, posing challenges in confirming updated figures for those areas.
He also addressed misinformation circulating on social media, rejecting claims that the Government intended to close shelters.
“There is no truth that as of midday (Thursday) today, all shelters will be closed. The shelters will remain in operation, especially in the parishes that have been severely affected by the passage of the hurricane,” the Minister declared.
He further indicated that relief operations remain ongoing, with sustained efforts to deliver essential supplies to affected communities.
“We are making arrangements to get igloos with ice and water and food supplies to these affected areas. Over the next two days, a massive relief programme [involving] the Office of Disaster Preparedness and Emergency Management (ODPEM), the Ministry of Labour and Social Security, and our partners will intensify to get relief supplies to the various communities,” Minister McKenzie informed.
Manchester, St. Elizabeth, Westmoreland, St. James, Hanover, and Trelawny are among the parishes most severely impacted by Hurricane Melissa – the Category Five cyclone that made landfall in Jamaica on October 28.