Anabaptists in Jamaica and Cuba are continuing to determine the impact of Hurricane Melissa in early November after the Category 5 storm’s catastrophic wind and flooding damaged several churches.

Melissa was the third most intense Atlantic hurricane on record, and more than 80 deaths were attributed to it, including 43 from flooding and landslides in Haiti and 35 fatalities in Jamaica.

The storm was at its fiercest when it made landfall Oct. 28 in Jamaica with 185 mph winds, bringing nearly total destruction to some coastal locations. The eye passed over western Jamaica, then continued north as a weaker hurricane when it made landfall the following day in Cuba.

Most of the 13 congregations in Jamaica Mennonite Church are on the eastern side of the country and received minor damage, but four churches were in the center of the hurricane’s path in the west.

William George Broughton, former JMC president who now serves as Mennonite World Conference’s Caribbean regional representative, said on Nov. 5 that the Jamaican conference, which numbers about 800 baptized members, was still collecting estimates of church damage as bivocational pastors were pulled in many directions.

“We have church members and others who suffered damage,” he said. “. . . We are in touch. We know they don’t have water supplies because those were damaged. Some of them are just getting back electricity. The internet connection is very poor.

“People from Kingston are visiting these areas to determine what kind of help they need, like food or tarpaulins. We have a lot of trees that fell down, not on camp buildings, but we have to get into clearing up the properties. Right now, we don’t even have a power saw for ourselves, and the cost is very high. If we had these things, we could mobilize the church to help clean up.”

The building of Salters Hill Mennonite Church — the smallest congregation in JMC, numbering about 20 members, located in northeastern Jamaica near Montego Bay — collapsed, and the parsonage roof was blown away, Broughton said.

Ridge Mennonite Church, situated near the southeastern coast, had its doors blown in and received roof damage. The conference operated a school for the deaf at the location until 2018 and continues to own the property compound, using it as a camp and renting it to a therapist who works with stroke victims.

Two other congregations just to the north — Joyland and Abrams — also received severe roof damage.

Information has been slower to gather from Cuba, where there are about 130 Brethren in Christ congregations that meet as house churches. Flooding was severe, and Broughton said he knew at least one pastor lost everything.

An MWC pastoral letter to the churches of the Caribbean stated all 56 BIC congregations in Cuba’s five eastern provinces were impacted, with some members losing their homes. The storm multiplied economic hardships the people were already suffering. MWC also noted Anabaptist churches in the Dominican Republic were impacted by flooding that occurred as the storm passed over Hispaniola.

“By the time it reached Cuba, it was a lower-category hurricane, so the damage was not that severe, but we have to understand the infrastructure is different in Cuba,” Broughton said. “If a Category 5 had hit Cuba, everything would have been blown away because the infrastructure is very weak compared to Jamaica.”

He requested prayers for church members in the Caribbean as they evaluate how to pay to repair damage and replace lost possessions.

“We are praying for people in other parts of the world as well, and we are mindful of people suffering in different ways,” Broughton said.

Jamaica Mennonite Church has maintained a fraternal relationship with Virginia Mennonite Missions since it began in the 1950s. VMMissions is in communication with JMC to facilitate hurricane response and is collecting donations at vmmissions.org/jamaica-relief.

“We are already collecting relief funds, and as JMC provides direction, we are prepared to offer other forms of support as well,” the organization announced on Nov. 6. “We encourage the entire Anabaptist church family to pray for those impacted by the hurricane, and for JMC leaders as they assess the damage and identify immediate needs.”

Mennonite Church USA is also collecting donations for JMC’s hurricane response through its Climate Justice Ministry at secure.myvanco.com/YM1N/campaign/C-13A1Y with “JAMAICA” in the note field. All donations will be sent to JMC.

Christian Aid Ministries is planning to provide food aid in Cuba and is evaluating possibilities to assist in Haiti and Jamaica.