Signal Hurricane Melissa: huge losses, comparatively few deaths

Summary

Hurricane Melissa hit Jamaica and Cuba in October 2025, affecting 7.5 million people and causing 10 billion dollars in economic losses. That is the largest damage figure in the report's table of events from April 2025 to April 2026. Even so, the death toll stayed comparatively moderate. The report reads this as a case showing how effective early warning systems and early action are in saving lives. At the same time it points to the hard limits of adaptation, since whole islands with their buildings and infrastructure cannot be moved out of danger. An event-specific attribution study found that climate change raised the hurricane's likelihood or intensity, and the report adds that, unlike Melissa, most disasters still reveal human inaction.