'It’s Like a World War'- Asafa Powell and Noah Lyles Rally to Help Victims Displaced by Hurricane Melissa in Jamaica

Former Jamaican Olympic sprinter Asafa Powell has likened the destruction caused by Hurricane Melissa to a "world war, where somebody drops a bomb" as he and American gold medallist Noah Lyles spearhead relief efforts for the ravaged island nation.

Hurricane Melissa, a catastrophic Category 5 storm, struck Jamaica in late October with winds reaching 185mph, marking it as the most powerful hurricane to hit the country on record before moving on to affect Haiti and Cuba.

In an exclusive interview with Sky News, Powell described the heartbreaking scene on the ground. "I think the world is mourning for Jamaica right now and I am mourning for Jamaica," he said. "My heart is just crying every day when I see the videos. It doesn't do it justice."

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Powell, who represented Jamaica at four Olympic Games, added, "You have to 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."

The Jamaican government has confirmed 45 fatalities, with 15 people still missing as of Wednesday. The World Bank has estimated the physical damage at a staggering US$8.8 billion, equivalent to 41% of the nation's 2024 GDP.

Powell, a two-time 100m world record holder and a 4x100m relay gold medallist from the 2016 Rio Olympics, witnessed the devastation firsthand while delivering aid. "I drove to Montego Bay, Westmoreland, St Elizabeth, and to be honest, I was scared, I was so shocked," he recounted. "I was scared to look left or right because there were just people on both sides of the road hoping that help was coming."

"I see houses under water... you see places where houses used to be... and it's really bad," he added, describing the emotional toll of seeing his countrymen in such dire straits.

Joining the relief effort is American sprinter Noah Lyles, who won 100m gold and 200m bronze at the 2024 Paris Olympics. Lyles's charity, the Lyles Brothers Sports Foundation, is focusing its support on communities in need, partly inspired by his fiancée, Jamaican sprinter Junelle Bromfield.

"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. He highlighted the critical importance of aiding the "Bread Basket Parish" of St. Elizabeth, which is vital for the island's food supply.

"If you don't have food, then it doesn't matter if you make it to the next day," Lyles stated. "You need something to eat, you need something to drink, you need to be able to keep the energy and the spirits up."

Following the hurricane, the Jamaican government declared a national disaster, with reports of blocked roads, fallen trees, and severe flooding across nearly every parish.

Despite the immense challenge, Powell remains hopeful, drawing on the resilience of the Jamaican people. "Never in a million years we thought Jamaica would have ever been like this," he said. "Jamaica is very small, but it's big in a sense, like Jamaicans say, we're 'likkle but we tallawah' (little but we are strong)."

"There are a lot more communities to be touched and we're going to get there," Powell concluded. "It's taking a while, but we're getting a lot of support and I really appreciate that."