2025’s Strongest Storm is yet another example of how already marginalized communities face the brunt of the climate crisis.
PARA PUBLICACIÓN INMEDIATA: 10/28/2025
CONTACTO PARA LOS MEDIOS: Edder Díaz Martínez, Communications Director, 602-832-6039, [email protected]
WASHINGTON— On Monday, the Atlantic Category 5 Hurricane “Melissa” made landfall near New Hope, Jamaica. This hurricane is being clocked with destructive winds at up to 185 miles per hour, according to the National Hurricane Center. It’s already been responsible for eight deaths, including five in Haiti, two in Jamaica, and one in the Dominican Republic.
As of October 27th, this deadly extreme weather event is officially the strongest storm on Earth in 2025. While it continues to bear down across Jamaica with catastrophic winds, extreme flash flooding, and deadly storm surges, communities across Cuba, the Bahamas, and Bermuda are all bracing for impact. As this devastating event continues to cause mayhem throughout the Caribbean, our thoughts are with the communities impacted by this terrifying event.
What we’re seeing on an annual basis is not by accident. Intensifying storms, longer wet seasons, and more frequent storms are caused by the ongoing climate crisis. The result is devastating damage to communities already bearing the brunt of climate change. GreenLatinos calls on lawmakers and elected leaders worldwide to unite and craft community-led policies that reduce greenhouse gas emissions, build resilience to extreme weather, and center leadership of frontline communities. It is of the utmost necessity to develop climate-resilient infrastructure to prevent impacted communities from being displaced from their homes. We urge bold investments in clean energy, climate adaptation, and equitable recovery efforts that protect the health, safety, and dignity of working-class, Latino, Black, and indigenous communities most impacted by the climate crisis.
In response to the news, GreenLatinos Program Directors and Advocates release the following statements:
“Hurricane Melissa is yet another example of how Latin American and Caribbean communities continue to be on the frontlines of the climate crisis. Many in our communities have relatives, friends, or cultural connections to these impacted areas. We need to ensure that these areas receive support before, during, and after climate-induced storms.” –– Val Z. Schull, Ph.D., Water Equity and Ocean Program Director
“As Hurricane Melissa devastates the Caribbean, we’re reminded that these storms are not just natural disasters. They are the result of systemic failures from our governments and the prioritization of industry over people. These catastrophic storms are forcing families from their homes and pushing entire communities closer to unlivable conditions. For Black, Latino, and indigenous peoples across the Caribbean and Americas, every hurricane season now brings the threat of displacement, loss, and uncertainty. We need bold, community-led solutions that center justice, build climate resilience, and ensure that every person has the right to safety, recovery, and dignity in the face of this escalating climate emergency.” –– Meisei Gonzalez, Climate Justice & Clean Air Advocate, GreenLatinos.
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Acerca de GreenLatinosVerdeLatinos (NOTA: GreenLatinos es UNA PALABRA) es una comunidad activa de líderes latinos, envalentonados por el poder y la sabiduría de nuestra cultura, unidos para exigir equidad y desmantelar el racismo, con recursos para ganar nuestras batallas ambientales, de conservación y de justicia climática, y motivados para asegurar nuestras políticas, Liberación económica, cultural y ambiental.
