Charlotte Shields-Rossi | a&e editor

Duquesne student Donay Allen has extended family and friends living in Jamaica. So when word spread that Hurricane Melissa made landfall in New Hope, Jamaica, she was overcome with anxiety.

“I was seeing all these updates about how many houses had been damaged, how many dead bodies they’ve been finding and then I haven’t heard from my family,” Allen said. “I was in class, and I was trying my best to not zone out. But all my mind had been [on was] what’s happening down there.”

According to the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration, winds reached 185 mph, classifying the storm as a Category 5 on the Saffir-Simpson Hurricane Wind Scale. The storm is one of the most powerful recorded hurricanes in the Atlantic Ocean, and multiple countries throughout the Caribbean have seen destruction.

The hurricane has claimed the lives of more than 60 people — 32 in Jamaica alone, according to Dana Morris Dixon, the information minister.

Damaged buildings, power outages and disruption of food and water are all issues residents are facing, according to the American Red Cross. The estimated loss to onshore property is about $2.2 billion to $4.2 billion, according to Verisk, a data analytics and technology partner to the global insurance industry.

Allen finally heard from her family after a few days. Although there was damage from the flooding and gusts of wind blew the roof off their homes, everyone was alive.

“Thankfully they have life because that’s the greatest thing, and I will always be thankful for that,” Allen said.

Neil Donahue, a professor of chemistry at Carnegie Mellon University with a doctorate in meteorology, has been closely following the storm.

“[The wind speed] is quite stunningly high. It seems very close to a theoretical limit of how strong a hurricane can be,” Donahue said.

Donahue said that the maximum possible wind speed of a hurricane is just over 190 mph — Hurricane Melissa reached 185 mph.

The Caribbean is a common location for these storms because of the warm water that surrounds it, he said. Hurricane Melissa had extremely low pressure, which was why the storm was so strong.

Donahue explained that climate change has had an impact on the severity of these storms because of rising water temperatures.

According to the Environmental Defense Fund, climate change is causing stronger winds, higher storm surges and record rainfalls during hurricane season.

“[Hurricanes] thrive in warm water,” he said. “As the oceans ‘surface gets warmer, they literally have more food. The major hurricanes are happening more frequently.”

Hurricanes always dissipate after they reach land, Donahue said.

According to the World Meteorological Association, the storm ebbed and flowed as a Category 2 and 3 causing destruction in Cuba, Haiti, Dominican Republic, Bahamas and Bermuda.

As the storm wreaked havoc throughout these countries, the Caribbean Student Association came together.

As president of the club, Allen called an executive board meeting immediately after hearing about the storm.

This was not her first experience with a hurricane.

She grew up in Jamaica until relocating in 2021. In 2016, she experienced a Category 2 hurricane. Her family stocked up on canned food, bolted up their windows and hid under the bed so nothing would fall on them.

“It’s so scary. It’s just uncertainty because most of the time when hurricanes happen there is no electricity,” Allen said.

The club is preparing to fundraise and donate aid to the affected countries. They have also been vocal on social media to educate students on Hurricane Melissa. Their goal is to create a safe space for students who have been affected, Allen said.

Jennica Henry, the social media manager of the Caribbean Student Association, grew up in Haiti. She experienced a hurricane in her childhood before she moved to Pittsburgh in 2023.

She said that Hurricane Melissa was the “cherry on top” for the country’s issues.

According to the Global Conflict Tracker, gang violence and political instability are all problems Haiti is facing.

Henry worries that the hurricane will make the issues even worse.

She hopes that countries with more resources will step up and bring aid to Haiti and surrounding areas.

“The Caribbeans are a very forgotten portion of this world,” she said.

Although her family that still lives in Haiti was not directly affected by the storm, she is still invested in supporting the countries and fellow students that were impacted.

“People are suffering, people don’t have aid, some people are missing, some people are dead,” she said.

“We do need help, as much as we can get.”

Although not all Duquesne students have been hurt by the natural disaster, Allen said students should still help.

“It might not be happening to you first hand, but this is happening in the world,” Allen said.

Charlotte Shields-Rossi can be reached at shieldsrossic@duq.edu