Over 700,000 Children Affected After Hurricane Melissa Slams the Caribbean
PANAMA CITY, 30 October 2025 — Days of relentless rain, massive storm surges, and destructive flooding from Hurricane Melissa have disrupted the lives of more than 700,000 children across the Caribbean, according to UNICEF.
The powerful hurricane struck Jamaica and Cuba directly, also impacting Haiti and the Dominican Republic. It has left widespread destruction, displacing thousands of families, damaging infrastructure, and destroying crops. Critical services such as healthcare and education have been severely interrupted.
“In the wake of relentless floods across the Caribbean, hundreds of thousands of children have seen their lives upended suddenly,” said Roberto Benes, Regional Director for Latin America and the Caribbean. “Children urgently need food, safe drinking water and sanitation, access to health and nutrition services and a path back to education.”
UNICEF has started distributing essential pre-positioned supplies for children while coordinating needs assessments and response plans with partners. However, several of the most affected areas remain isolated due to damaged roads and continued flooding. Many families are trapped in submerged neighborhoods, stranded without electricity or relying on shelters where clean water and sanitation are scarce.
In Jamaica, where Hurricane Melissa made landfall as a category 5 storm, UNICEF has initially allocated US$1 million to support immediate relief operations.
Author’s Summary
Hurricane Melissa caused catastrophic flooding across the Caribbean, displacing hundreds of thousands of children and prompting urgent UNICEF relief efforts.