Historic Jamaica’s oldest all-girls boarding school faces damage due to Hurricane Melissa

Jamaica: The historic Westwood High School in Stewart Town, Trelawny has suffered extensive damage after the passage of Hurricane Melissa. Due to extensive flooding, heavy rainfall and thunderstorms, Jamaica’s oldest all-girls boarding institution has faced destruction and is now on the verge to be renovated.

The school was founded in 1882 and the aerial footage shows severe destruction to the auditorium, dining hall, and hillside classrooms, along with the Woodland Building that houses part of the school’s boarding facilities.

Now, the cleanup work has started in Jamaica as the government is working to assist those who are in need. Minister Morgan reported that Hurricane Melissa caused severe damage to roads and infrastructure across Westmoreland, South St. Elizabeth, South Manchester, and parts of Clarendon, Trelawny, Hanover, St. James, and St. Ann.

Heavy rainfall, flash flooding, and landslides also affected several eastern and central parishes in the days leading up to landfall.

A total of 151 roads were impacted, 134 remain blocked, 11 have been fully cleared, and 41 are partially open to single-lane access.

The National Works Agency has activated its parish offices and mobilized contractors and equipment to restore connectivity, prioritizing routes to hospitals, airports, shelters, and power lines. Coordination with the Jamaica Public Service Company remains critical, as the removal of downed lines requires safety clearance.

Efforts are also underway to assess and restore major infrastructure including bridges, gullies, and traffic signals, while coastal experts evaluate revetments and unstable hillsides.

PM Andrew Holness added, “Your government remains committed to providing regular updates and ensuring safe access for all affected communities.”

In addition to that, Minister Wheatley issued an urgent warning about a surge in fraudulent websites attempting to divert hurricane relief donations following Hurricane Melissa. JaCIRT has identified 28 suspicious domains mimicking official government portals, including names like JamaicaHurricaneHelp.net and MelissaReliefJamaica.org.

The only legitimate site for donations is www.SupportJamaica.gov.jm, we urge the public to verify URLs carefully, avoid clicking on unsolicited links, and look for secure indicators like “https” and a padlock icon.

Minister Wheatley asked donors to report suspicious sites to jamaica.cert.opm.gov.jm and reminded international supporters to use only official channels to ensure their generosity reaches those in need.

We are actively working with global cybersecurity partners to shut down these scams and will continue to update the public.