$1.9T or 56 per cent of GDP...latest ESSJ details trail of damage caused by Hurricane Melissa

Jamaica suffered $1.9 trillion or US$12.2 billion in damage, losses and other costs associated with the devastation caused by Hurricane Melissa nearly one year ago, the latest Economic and Social Survey (ESSJ) has revealed.

The ESSJ is an annual publication by the Planning Institute of Jamaica which provides comprehensive data, reports and analysis on the country’s economic, social, and environmental developments.

Days before the one-year anniversary of the most powerful storm to hit Jamaica, the 2025 ESSJ says the J$1.9 trillion in damage it left behind was 56.7 per cent of the country’s gross domestic product (GDP) for 2024.