On October 28, 2025, Jamaica was hit by the now infamous Hurricane Mellissa – the country’s strongest storm on record. As a Category 5 storm, it caused widespread devastation across several of the island’s Western and Central parishes; destroying homes, businesses, farms, livestock, and, of course, causing the loss of human lives. The parishes of Manchester, St. Elizabeth, Trelawny, Hanover, Westmoreland and St. James were those most impacted. Manchester is notable as it is home to two Mercy Schools (i.e. St. John Bosco Vocational Training Centre and Mt. St. Joseph Prep School) and a Mercy-Affiliate school (Mt. St. Joseph Catholic High School). As a result, these and other Mercy schools suffered damage to their campuses as well as severe problems experienced in the lives of their students and staff.
Campus damage:
St. John Bosco (SJB) Vocational Training Centre experienced some damage to two of its greenhouses however, thanks to aid from the international Mercy community, these structures have now been repaired. Beyond this, much of the crops being grown in the school’s two greenhouses (including the one which was damaged), as well as the open-air farmland, were completely destroyed. Despite this, arrangements have been made to continue practical training sessions as the students help to cultivate a new set of crops. Thankfully, SJB’s livestock (i.e. over 300 pigs and 2,000 chicks) were spared. Beyond the impact on these agricultural training facilities, two of the school’s buildings experienced minor roof damage and repairs were made.
Nearby, Mt. St. Joseph (MSJ) Prep School was also affected with a Grade 6 classroom having sustained the loss of its roof and damage to its tiles. Damage also occurred to the school’s conference room ceiling and Mercy Hall’s floor (i.e. floor tiles were lifted). All three Manchester-based schools experienced some loss of utilities (electricity, water and internet). However, despite this, all schools resumed classes within 3 weeks.
Mercy schools on Alpha’s property in Kingston (on the Eastern end of the island), were fortunate not to sustain any major damages. During the storm, trees were blown down (which have now been cleared), and there was a widespread loss of electricity on the Alpha campus due to two transformer fuses being blown and an electrical wire coming down. Classrooms (such as those at Jessie Ripoll Primary and Alpha Primary), suffered some water damage and some fencing on Alpha Institute’s campus collapsed. All issues have now been resolved.
Human cost of hurricane
Even greater than the infrastructural damages/losses, was a human cost of the hurricane. The Mercy community grieves with students and staff who lost loved ones; had stranded/missing relatives; experienced major damage to their homes (or lost them completely); suffered psychological trauma; and whose families lost their livelihoods. Several students and staff live in severely affected areas (e.g. communities in St. Elizabeth), and thus were unable to come to school for some time. In fact, there are still some St. John Bosco students who remain unable to return to classes.
Answering the call to Mercy, Jamaican Mercy schools across Jamaica have been walking with those affected by this devastating storm both within and without the Mercy community. Upon their reopening, all Mercy schools provided psychosocial support to students and staff members who have been struggling at this difficult time. Guidance counsellors, social workers and teachers have conducted in-class psychosocial activities, individual counselling, and special workshops to mitigate the mental and emotional toll of the disaster on each school’s population. Alpha Academy, for example, had a day of counselling workshops for teachers before the resumption of classes, and later a counselling day for students in each year group. At Jessie Ripoll Primary, one of the social workers from the Sisters of Mercy of Jamaica’s Oscar Romero Centre for Youth (ORCY), facilitated two post-hurricane class sessions with grade 5 students; one therapeutic session for 30 teachers; and one psychosocial support zoom session with 75 parents.
Beyond this, a timely Mass was celebrated by Alpha schools on November 7 under the theme “United in prayer: Trusting in God’s Mercy and holding on to hope for renewal and healing across Jamaica.” Schools had the opportunity to gain strength and hope through their fellowship together. A capacity building workshop for guidance counsellors from all Mercy schools was also organised in conjunction with Mercy Education and Project Fleur-de-lis. The session was well received and enhanced counsellors’ ability to provide further psychosocial support in Mercy schools.
The Sisters of Mercy of Jamaica will continue to actively listen and promptly respond to all of the wide-ranging needs of our school communities (including those which may not be very obvious), in order to strengthen our students and staff as they grapple with the reality of the hurricane’s massive impact on their lives.
