Hurricane Melissa presents a grave and heartbreaking horizon for not only Jamaica, which felt the full force of its fury yesterday, but for our Caribbean sister nations Cuba and Turks and Caicos Islands, which are now squarely in its sights.

Already, the warning signs are ominous: Catastrophic rainfall and slow storm motion have unleashed immense damage and tragedy in Jamaica.

For Cuba’s south-eastern provinces, flood-soaked terrain and wind-battered structures are likely on the menu. The storm is forecast to deliver extremely heavy rainfall — in some areas up to 20–25 inches — just along Cuba’s south-eastern coastline. That volume of rainfall was also forecast for Jamaica.

As is the experience in Jamaica, rain-fed landslides, isolation of communities, and extensive infrastructure damage loom in Cuba. Meanwhile, for Turks and Caicos, while the hit may be somewhat delayed and subdued, the threat of storm surge, high seas, heavy rain, and damaging winds remains very real.

To the communities across Cuba and the Turks and Caicos Islands now bracing for impact, we see you, we stand with you, and we are aware of the heavy burden you may soon bear. Many of you are waking yet again to the fear of homes flooded, roads cut off, power and communication lost. Many of you guard loved ones and livelihoods — fishermen, small business owners, farmers, families — all vulnerable to nature’s fury.

That reality should give rise not only to compassion, but to action from the international community.

Once the storm passes — and we pray it passes with the least damage possible — we hope the the world will move swiftly in three key ways for all three countries.

First, rapid humanitarian response. Basic needs will be urgent — water, food, temporary shelter, medical care. Returning access to isolated or flooded areas must be prioritised. Logistics will be challenged; delays will cost lives.

Second, infrastructure and recovery planning. Communities must be supported not just in immediate relief but in rebuilding. That means restoring electricity, water systems, roads; reinforcing homes; mitigating future risks. The recovery should build back better — considering the increasing intensity of storms we are now seeing.

Third, sustained international solidarity, not just a one-off reaction. Disasters like this expose the unequal vulnerability of small island and coastal states. Long after the headlines fade, these nations will need economic and technical support — for climate resilience, disaster preparedness, insurance frameworks, and community adaptation.

We implore governments, aid agencies, non-governmental organisations, private sector, and neighbouring countries to assist. The aftermath of Hurricane Melissa will demand not only emergency relief but enduring investment.

To the individuals affected: Hold on to hope, reach out for help when you can, look out for one another. Even when the physical devastation passes the human suffering remains — disruption, trauma, loss of livelihoods, sense of safety shaken.

The recovery will be long, but no one needs to face it alone.

The time for empathy is now; the time for action begins the moment the winds die down.

In the coming days and weeks the true cost of Hurricane Melissa will be tallied, not just in storm statistics, but in human lives disrupted, crops ruined, communities uprooted. But it doesn’t have to be a disaster defined by helplessness. Let’s be ready.