'Like a World War': Olympic Star's Harrowing Account
Former Jamaican Olympic sprinter Asafa Powell has delivered a chilling description of the destruction left by Hurricane Melissa, comparing the aftermath to a scene from global conflict. The Category 5 hurricane, which struck Jamaica in late October with unprecedented wind speeds of 185mph, represents the most severe storm to hit the Caribbean nation since records began.
Speaking exclusively to Sky News, Powell appeared alongside American Olympic gold medallist Noah Lyles to discuss the catastrophic natural disaster and explain their collaborative efforts to provide essential relief to affected communities.
"I think the world is mourning for Jamaica right now and I am mourning for Jamaica," Powell stated emotionally. "My heart is just crying every day when I see the videos. It doesn't do it justice."
He continued with his powerful analogy: "You have to see it in person, when you see it in person... there's no greenery, everything is just brown. It's like a world war, where somebody drops a bomb, that's what it looks like."
Olympic Champions Unite for Relief Mission
Powell, who represented Jamaica across four Olympic Games beginning with Athens 2004, secured gold as part of the legendary 4x100m relay team featuring Usain Bolt at the 2016 Rio Games. Though he never claimed individual Olympic or World Championship gold, the sprinter twice broke the 100m world record, clocking 9.77 seconds in 2005 and improving to 9.74 in 2007.
The human cost of Hurricane Melissa continues to mount, with the Jamaican government confirming 45 fatalities and 15 people still missing according to latest official figures released last Wednesday.
Noah Lyles, who secured 100m gold in a dramatic photo finish by 0.005 seconds and bronze in the 200m at the 2024 Paris Olympics, explained why his charity - the Lyles Brothers Sports Foundation - felt compelled to support the Jamaican people.
"We know that there are tonnes of people who are helping out right now, and there are other foundations that you can go to, but we really wanted to make sure that not just Junelle's community but a lot of the other communities surrounding that area got support," Lyles explained.
The 28-year-old athlete announced his engagement to Jamaican-born sprint athlete Junelle Bromfield in October 2024 following the Paris Olympics. He highlighted the critical situation facing St Elizabeth parish, known as Jamaica's 'Bread Basket Parish'.
"As Junelle says, St Elizabeth is the Bread Basket Parish. It provides food to the rest of the island," Lyles emphasised. "And if you don't have food, then it doesn't matter if you make it to the next day, you need something to eat, you need something to drink, you need to be able to keep the energy and the spirits up."
Economic Catastrophe and Personal Witness
Following landfall, the Jamaican government formally declared the entire island a disaster area, reporting that nearly every parish experienced blocked roads, fallen trees and major flooding. The World Bank estimates the physical damage from Hurricane Melissa amounts to a staggering US$8.8bn, equivalent to 41% of Jamaica's 2024 GDP.
Powell witnessed the devastation firsthand during a tour of affected regions. "I wanted to see, just to get a visual of everything that's going on, what's happened on the island," he recounted. "I drove to Montego Bay, Westmoreland, St Elizabeth, and to be honest, I was scared, I was so shocked."
He described haunting scenes: "I was scared to look left or right because there were just people on both sides of the road hoping that help was coming. People with kids, young babies, and it was devastating for me. I see houses under water, you know, three-storey houses, you see places where houses used to be... and it's really bad."
The emotional toll on Powell has been profound. "To see people, your people, struggling like that - never in a million years we thought Jamaica would have ever been like this," he confessed. "Driving through it, it looked like somebody dropped a bomb on that side of Jamaica."
Despite the overwhelming challenges, Powell finds hope in the collective response. "Everyone is trying to help, you know, with whatever little they can help with," he noted, invoking the Jamaican saying: "We're 'likkle but we tallawah'. So there are a lot more communities to be touched and we're going to get there, but it's taking a while, but we're getting a lot of support and I really appreciate that."
