Storm-ravaged communities in western Jamaica were facing dire straits Sunday, days after record-setting Hurricane Melissa left towns demolished and at least 28 people dead across the island. Melissa became the most intense storm to make landfall in 90 years when it barreled into Jamaica last Tuesday as a Category 5 hurricane packing winds of 185 miles (300 kilometers) per hour.

Mercy Chefs, a disaster relief organization, has established operations on Jamaica’s west side in St. Elizabeth, an area that had received minimal assistance until now, according to the organization’s founder and CEO Gary LeBlanc.

Hurricane Melissa made landfall in southwest Jamaica near the coastal town of Black River, which the government has described as 'ground zero.'

As flights from the Caribbean continued to land in South Florida in the aftermath of Hurricane Melissa, CBS News Miami caught up with a man who was on the other side of the doors, waiting for someone special.

On Oct. 28, 2025 Hurricane Melissa— one of the strongest Atlantic hurricanes on record —slammed into the west coast of Jamaica. It brought 185 mph peak winds, destroying 90% of homes in the Black River area and leaving at least 50 dead —a count that will surely rise as search and rescue continues.

Hurricane Melissa damaged Chabad in Jamaica, though the synagogue's prayer hall is mostly in "good condition."

The death toll continues to rise as cleanup efforts begin across the Caribbean in the wake of Hurricane Melissa.

The government said on Saturday that at least 28 people in Jamaica have died since the hurricane hit as a monster category five storm with 185 mph (297km/h) sustained winds. That is a near 50% jump in the death toll overnight,