Global Rapid Post-Disaster Damage Estimation (GRADE): Hurricane Melissa 2025 Jamaica

This Global Rapid Post-Disaster Damage Estimation (GRADE) report provides a synopsis of the estimated direct physical damage in Jamaica due to the passage of Hurricane Melissa. The report is based on a rapid and remote post-disaster damage assessment which follows the established GRADE methodology and is prepared within a short timeframe to inform early decision-making. It is not intended as a substitute for the detailed, sectoral, on-the-ground analysis which may be conducted in the weeks and months after an event.

The GRADE assessment should be interpreted as a first-order estimation of direct damage, albeit with a significant degree of reliability. However, GRADE’s outputs are still estimates; remote-based calculations that are influenced by, and updated with, available groundbased data. While there is confidence in the overall damage estimates and distribution of damage, the confidence level at the individual asset level is low and therefore results are presented at the parish and aggregated asset class level. Furthermore, this GRADE assessment calculates the replacement costs, and does not include the costs of building back better, nor does it calculate the economic losses, and the recovery and reconstruction needs, that are also crucial for a comprehensive understanding of the impact of the disaster.