Jamaica Suffered 8.8 Billion US in Estimated Damages from Hurricane Melissa says World Bank

Wednesday, November 19, 2025, a special press briefing on Hurricane Melissa damages and recovery efforts, hosted by Sen. Dr. the Hon. Dana Morris Dixon was livestreamed via JIS. During the briefing, an estimated damage figure in US dollars was provided to viewers, Prime Minister Holness also gave a lengthy speech on recovery efforts and strategies, highlighting that getting back to some form of normalcy will take some time.

An official from the World Bank, Ms. Lilia Burinciuc, gave a detailed presentation on their assessment of the damages done to the physical properties on the island. Before giving the figures, the female representative noted that the estimate does not include economical damage nor the cost it will take to rebuild, which is expected to be high figures.

She noted that the sum came about after the World Bank partnered with multiple other organisations to pool various data. “The total cost of Damage is estimated at 8.8 Billion US Dollars, which is 41 percent of the gross domestic production(GDP) of Jamaica in 2024.”

Parishes such as Westmoreland, St. Elizabeth and St. James suffered the worse damages based on the assessment. These three parishes account for an estimated total of 5.5 billion US dollars, or 63 percent of the island’s total damage from the Hurricane.

It was noted that the total estimated damages from Hurricane Melissa exceeds any recent historical event. “This means the recovery will be an enormous and long turn talks,” that will need help from the entire society and external parties.

However, a glimmer of hope for a better future was pointed out as Burinciuc detailed that rebuilt infrastructure will help in stability for the future disasters, it will also improve the general worth of the areas that are rebuilt.

The figures are set to be updated in the near future after more assessments. Watch as Ms. Lilia Burinciuc talk on the estimates below: