Jamaica: Food Security Monitoring Impact of Hurricane Melissa – Four Months On

Country: Jamaica Sources: Caribbean Community Secretariat, World Food Programme Please refer to the attached file. HIGHLIGHTS Four months after Hurricane Melissa, food security conditions show partial stabilization but remain significantly worse than before the storm. Insufficient food consumption has declined from its November peak (30%) to 13% yet remains nearly double the pre-Melissa rate (7%), indicating incomplete recovery. Diet quality continues to lag, with one-third of households still consuming no fruit in the previous week, and dairy access recovering slowly, reflecting sustained nutrient gaps. Severe coping and livelihood stress have declined but remain elevated, especially in the west and north-west, where market access also remains most constrained. FIES remains high (43%) despite improvements in short-term indicators including the Food Consumption Score and reduced Coping Strategies Index. Insufficient food consumption has declined from its November peak (30%) to 13% yet remains nearly double the pre-Melissa rate (7%), indicating incomplete recovery. Diet quality continues to lag, with one-third of households still consuming no fruit in the previous week, and dairy access recovering slowly, reflecting sustained nutrient gaps. Crisis or emergency food-based coping remains elevated, dropping from 36% one month after the storm to 18% at four months, but still above pre-Melissa levels (14%). The most severe stress is concentrated in Trelawny, Westmoreland, St. Elizabeth, Hanover, and St. James, forming a persistent high-impact belt in the west and north-west. Crisis and emergency strategies peaked at 29% and 20% respectively, before easing to 26% and 9% by month four, still above pre-event levels. The largest increases in asset-depleting coping occurred in Westmoreland, Trelawny, and Hanover. Moderate or severe food insecurity (FIES) remains high despite short-term improvements in FCS and rCSI. FIES rose from 33% pre-Melissa to 54% two months post-event, and although it has eased to 43%, levels remain well above baseline, reflecting ongoing constrained food access, and lingering experiences of skipping meals or going hungry. Market access deteriorated sharply after Melissa: 53% of households faced challenges, peaking mid-month and remaining high into weeks 7–8, while fresh foods recovered slowly, staples and hygiene rebounded quickly, and medicines showed volatile availability. The worst access constraints are concentrated in the west and north-west (e.g., Hanover, Trelawny, Westmoreland, Saint Elizabeth).

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