In late June and early July 2024, Hurricane Beryl, a Category 5 storm, swept across southern Jamaica, affecting roughly 160,000 people and causing localized damage, particularly to agriculture. A little over a year later, on 28 October 2025, Hurricane Melissa struck with even greater force, crossing the island and leaving widespread devastation across multiple parishes. While both storms reached Major Hurricane status, their impacts differed sharply due to variations in wind speed, storm trajectory, and storm surge. Beryl largely stayed over open ocean and brushed the southern coast, whereas Melissa made direct landfall with 185 mph winds and produced storm surges up to 2.5 meters, intensifying the destruction.
Despite the differences, lessons from Beryl informed preparedness efforts during Melissa. Communities that had experienced minimal damage from Beryl often underestimated Melissa’s threat, delaying evacuations and increasing risk exposure. In Petersfield, Westmoreland, one family chose not to evacuate despite warnings and only survived by taking shelter in a bathtub amid violent winds and flying debris. Similarly, in New Market, St. Elizabeth, a family unaware of the approaching hurricane was displaced and had to seek refuge in a local factory, highlighting gaps in communication and community awareness. Conversely, fishermen and other residents who had been impacted by Beryl took proactive measures to protect property and livelihoods during Melissa, demonstrating the value of prior experience.
These events underscore a critical lesson: understanding and respecting risk is central to preparedness. Communities that underestimate threats are less likely to take timely action, even when warnings are issued. Effective disaster readiness requires localized, practical risk communication that conveys the tangible dangers of major hurricanes and provides actionable steps for evacuation and safety. Preparing communities with clear, experience-based guidance empowers informed decisions rather than instilling fear.
Beyond community awareness, operational readiness also proved essential. Following Beryl, the IOM and partners strengthened pre-positioned resources, ensuring that non-food items (NFIs) like tarpaulins, shelter kits, generators, and solar lamps were available for rapid deployment. Within days of Melissa’s landfall, nearly 4,500 NFIs arrived in Kingston, supported by a six-person surge team and partnerships with technical experts and the private sector. Coordination enabled the collection of over 115,000 NFIs within the first month, highlighting the importance of proactive stockpiling and collaboration.
Timely and accurate data collection was another key component of effective response. The IOM activated the Displacement Tracking Matrix to support shelter assessments, partnered with the University of the West Indies for community-level data, and combined Copernicus mapping with Microsoft building footprints to conduct residential damage analyses. This geospatial information allowed responders to prioritize and plan NFI distribution based on actual roof damage and shelter needs.
The experiences of Hurricanes Beryl and Melissa emphasize that preparedness is dynamic, requiring continuous adaptation. Lessons from past storms shaped faster, more coordinated responses, demonstrating the need for robust risk communication, pre-positioned resources, and innovative data tools. As climate change intensifies extreme weather events, integrating foresight, technology, and local engagement will be essential to ensure that communities are not just warned but fully prepared for future hurricanes.
