In the aftermath of Hurricane Melissa, which affected many areas in the Caribbean, we are concerned for the welfare of our brothers and sisters there.  This page serves as a repository for the latest information, and we will add to it as more information becomes available.

November 13, 2025 – 12:00 PM EST

Dear brothers and sisters in Christ Jesus our Lord,

Two weeks after Hurricane Melissa tore through the Caribbean, we’re still receiving first contact from brothers and sisters in Jamaica who have been cut off since the category 5 storm tore up roads and disrupted essential services all across the island. With communication so limited, our first priority has been to get updates on everyone’s immediate well-being and to answer the fear in the minds of all those with loved ones in the storm’s path: “Did they survive this monster?”

Thanks be to God for preserving the lives of his children and we’ve learned of no loss of life among the believers. 

With more ability to connect coming back on line each day, we now turn our attention to what comes next and how to help our brother, sisters and young people recover from the devastation. All three island nations of Jamaica, Haiti and Cuba suffered terrible impacts from the storm with entire towns flattened and infrastructure destroyed, and they face a grueling road back to normality, especially for those living where the worst effects were felt. The storm took livelihoods and schools, grocery stores and banks—and well over a hundred thousand roofs in Jamaica alone. Our brothers and sisters were sheltering beneath some of these roofs when they were ripped away and several believers’ homes were completely destroyed, and all of their possessions along with them. Their lives are shattered.

 

We’re still in the information-gathering stage as to the extent of the damage and while we don’t know at this stage what the final dollar amount for helping our brothers and sisters impacted by this storm will be, we know it will be significant.

Please, we need your help. We are asking for your prayers to our Heavenly Father to continue to watch over our brethren in need.  We are also appealing to the brotherhood in North America for donations to help these dear, faithful brothers and sisters in Christ as they work so hard to rebuild their lives. 

On behalf of the Christadelphian Bible Mission of Canada,
Bro Nathan and Sis Antonia Giordano, CBMC-Jamaica links

For information about financial donations to the CBMA or CBMC, please click here: https://cbma.net/how-to-help/donations/

 

November 5, 2025 – 12:00 AM EDT

A couple of intrepid souls have braved the clogged roads and downed power lines to make the drive from the Kingston area to Westmoreland to check up on family members. Whilst the updates we’ve received over the last week are that brothers and sisters are “ok”, it tells us nothing of the loss and trauma that many have endured.

Bro Keith travelled to Broughton, the journey taking twice as long as it did before the storm and brought back news of devastation and an ecclesial member who lost her home. Sis Cureen took supplies to Argyle Mountain, where the hurricane took the doors and windows of her father’s home and almost everyone in the community lost their roof. The photos show the small and immaculately kept meeting hall from our first visit to Jamaica in 2015. The video shows how it looks today.

 

If you’ve been to Negril, there’s a chance you’ve met Bro Ray at the Golden Sunset. He’s an immense character and has been wonderful to get to know over the past decade that Nate and I have visited Jamaica. All we’ve heard from his niece, Jenny – herself such a constant, cheerful presence at the Golden Sunset – is that they are “alive”. That’s all we know. There are several others no one has been able to reach and about whom we’ve received no word.

Even those who fared fairly well through the storm are now dealing with disruption to work and school and the constant, nagging worry about extended family members who have sustained much worse damage. It’s been a week now with no power, water or internet for many. It may well be many more weeks before services are restored.

Recovery from this storm – physically, emotionally and financially – will be such a long road. Please continue to pray for our dear ones in Jamaica.

~ Sis Antonia Giordano, CBMC-Jamaica Link

November 1, 2025 – 11:00 AM EDT

We’re starting to hear a little from brothers and sisters in the Broughton area and are relieved and thankful that so far everyone is safe. It’s too early to be able to get any kind of an assessment of the damage that individuals have sustained as connection is so limited and people are still figuring out how to just get through each day. However, given the images of total destruction coming from the Black River area, we anticipate that there will be significant damage in the wider region surrounding it where a number of believers are located.

Despite this, we’ve received the following message from Bro Leecroft showing the beautiful, resilient spirit of the Jamaican people:

“…everyone is optimistic about moving forward even with thoughts of how hard it will be from here on in. The best part about all this is that there’s this one belief in everyone that once we have life we have everything… whatever possessions that are lost can be regained but life couldn’t.”

We’re so thankful to our God for saving the lives of our loved ones.
~ Bro Nathan and Sis Antonia Giordano, CBMC-Jamaica Link Couple

 

October 30, 2025 – 10:00 PM EDT

The situation in Jamaica is unfolding daily. We’ve made contact with brothers and sisters in Kingston, May Pen, Spanish Town, Port Maria and Round Hill, where so far everyone is safe, though contending with varying degrees of damage. Power and water are out across much of the island and nearly all communication is down in the western side that received the most direct hit, so there are brothers and sisters we’ve heard nothing from yet. It will be some time before we really know what the needs are and the best way to address them, but both we and the brothers and sisters across Jamaica appreciate the prayers, love, and support of the brotherhood worldwide as they navigate this tremendously difficult situation. We’ll share more information as we have it.
~ Bro Nathan and Sis Antonia Giordano, CBMC-Jamaica Link Couple

Financial Donations

Donations can be made to the CBMA or CBMC in support of the brothers and sisters in the Caribbean.

 

Donate to CBMA or CBMC

 

Note from Bro. Bill Hlina – October 30, 2025

Dear brothers and sisters in Christ Jesus our Lord,

We are deeply saddened to hear of the devastation caused by Hurricane Melissa and the impact it has had on our dear brothers and sisters in Jamaica. Our hearts go out to each one during this incredibly difficult time. Please know that your CBMA/C ecclesial family is holding them in constant prayer, asking our Heavenly Father to grant them strength, comfort, and protection as they begin to recover from the devastation. Though we may be separated by distance, we are united in love and faith, and we hope to be able to provide support in any way we can.

We continue to receive requests for information regarding the situation in Jamaica following hurricane Melissa and are making concerted efforts to determine the welfare of all members in the country, particularly in the area most impacted by the storm. Power interruptions across most of western Jamaica have made it challenging to communicate effectively and in a timely manner.

We are also receiving requests of how others may help. Your donations will help. The primary need is support for the well-being of our ecclesial families within Jamaica. We ask for your prayers on their behalf. Disruptions to essential services, such as clean drinking water, telecommunications, and infrastructure, have resulted in difficult circumstances.

A visit to Jamaica during the last week of September was breathtaking and revealed a very beautiful Jamaica very different from what we are seeing in the news and online. Trees, highways, roads, and households have experienced damage due to the storm. Several ecclesial halls and facilities that were already in need of repair now require further attention.

We are providing the latest updates on the cbma.net website as the information becomes available. There is a direct link for donations to provide financial support to our Jamaican brothers and sisters.

May our loving Father continue to watch over our brothers and sisters in Jamaica, granting them peace, resilience, and hope in the days ahead. Let us remain steadfast in prayer and generous in spirit, trusting that God will work through our collective efforts to bring comfort and restoration. We are reminded that when one member suffers, all suffer together (1 Corinthians 12:26), and so we stand with them in faith, love, and unity.

Yours in Christ,

Bill Hlina
Chairman, Christadelphian Bible Mission of Canada