MONTEGO BAY, St James — The popular Pier One restaurant and bar in Montego Bay, St James, is among the several buildings significantly impacted by wind and rain during the passage of Hurricane Melissa on Tuesday.

High winds pushed waves and heavy rains on the establishment that sits along the shoreline leaving parts of the building, including its iconic sign, destroyed.

This brought back memories of a February 2024 storm system, associated with a cold front, that caused significant damage to the business establishment leading to a millions in losses.

Up to press time on Tuesday there was no estimate of the damage which is expected to be significant.

But Pier One was not the only space in Montego Bay to feel the wrath of Melissa as a nearby Rubis gas station on Howard Cooke Boulevard also saw significant damage, while there were reports of widespread damage to other properties in the city.

There was also significant flooding in Montego Bay with Harbour and South streets under several feel of water which rendered them impassable.

Other streets were impacted by downed trees and fallen utility lines making the space a challenge to navigate even for heavy duty vehicles which are being used to carry out checks.

Mayor of Montego Bay Richard Vernon told the Jamaica Observer that the initial assessment of the impact of Melissa is “rough”.

“As soon as the system passes we will check,” said Vernon.

There were also reports of roofs being blown off in Mount Salem and other sections of the parish.

The damaging impact of the Category 5 hurricane was felt across St James from as early as 3:00 am on Tuesday when the roof of a building on Barnett Street was blown off. The roof was pushed by the wind onto Barnett Street with debris falling on cars causing extensive damage to them at the nearby Montego Bay Fire Station.

There were also reports late Tuesday evening that rivers in St James swelled significantly following the steady rainfall from Monday evening and all day Tuesday.

But throughout the heavy downpour and strong wind on Tuesday people were seen walking in sections of the resort town.

There were also reports of looting in the space but that was not confirmed by the police up to press time. There was a strong police/military presence in the city for most of the day.

Second time unlucky for the Pier One building in Montego Bay, St James, which was damaged by Hurricane Melissa on Tuesday.

The Rubis service station on Howard Cooke Boulevard which was severely damaged by Hurricane Melissa on Tuesday.