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Using Technology to Measure Power Outages, Critical Infrastructure Damage After Hurricane Melissa

AI-assisted estimates list as many as 76 percent of buildings located in storm-impacted areas of Jamaica as damaged, including key infrastructure such as hospitals and health clinics.

News

Hurricane Melissa

A damage assessment using Microsoft AI for Good is showing buildings that may be damaged in St. James Parish and Montego Bay. Blue buildings are likely damaged, including critical health facilities, after Hurricane Melissa's devastation swept through the area. (Direct Relief)
By Olivia Lewis

Hundreds of thousands of Jamaicans have been left in the dark for a week following Hurricane Melissa.

The historic Category Five hurricane made landfall in late October, devastating much of the western parishes in the country. Crisis Ready, a research-response initiative at Harvard and Direct Relief, gathered recent data that predicts that between 600,000 and 700,000 residents are without power after catastrophic winds of 175 miles per hour impacted the island.

In the hours and days that followed Melissa’s initial blow, Crisis Ready reported a “cascading infrastructure failure” that has left Jamaicans with extremely limited connectivity.

Cellular towers failed, and backup generators were depleted within the first two days. While some areas have power, prolonged power outages are anticipated.

Through the Microsoft AI for Good application, Direct Relief’s research and analysis team has estimated that about 76% of structures have been damaged following the storm. This data is difficult to confirm, as it includes cloud-covered areas. However, the application considers visible roof damage. Therefore, overall building damage is likely higher than reported.

An estimated 20 hospitals and 11 health centers are documented for the island. So far, four hospitals have reported major impacts from oxygen shortages, roof collapses, and child patients who needed airlifts to more secure facilities: Savana-la-Mar Hospital, Cornwall Regional Hospital, Black River Hospital, and Noel Homes Hospital.  

Due to limited to no connectivity, it is difficult to pinpoint population changes within the first week of the storm. However, several parishes along the western side of the island saw more than a 50% decline in population density within three days of the hurricane’s landfall.

Specifically, Saint James saw a 74% decline, followed by Westmoreland at 67%, and Saint Elizabeth, which saw a 65% decline.

Saint Elizabeth’s diverse population increases the risk of vulnerability. The parish has the highest percentage of residents age 60 and over at 14%.

According to Crisis Ready, residents age 60 and over are less likely to have evacuated and will be difficult to reach due to limited connectivity. The data hub suggests that nearly 14,000 elderly residents within Saint Elizabeth are without connectivity.

This group of residents is likely to have a difficult time managing chronic diseases and are more likely than other age groups to be physically isolated with little to no tools to contact other people.

Several parishes, including Saint Elizabeth, are home to many children under the age of five. Power outages in these parishes increase the risk of dehydration, waterborne diseases, and acute respiratory illnesses in young children as infrastructure conditions are compromised.

Many families are also at risk of separation as they seek shelter.

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