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WEATHER

Hurricane Melissa

The strongest storm of 2025 made landfall in Jamaica yesterday.

What happened? 
Over the weekend, Hurricane Melissa ballooned to a Category 4, with meteorologists warning of “catastrophic flooding” in Jamaica and parts of Cuba and Haiti. 

Jamaican officials issued mandatory evacuations to ~28,000 residents Monday as the storm grew, saying “no infrastructure in the region can withstand a Category 5.” Melissa crawled to the coast, giving residents more time to board up buildings and move inland—though at the time of landfall, less than 6,000 people had evacuated to shelters.

Yesterday afternoon, Melissa came ashore over southwestern Jamaica as a Category 5, bringing record rainfall, winds up to 185mph, and up to 13 feet of storm surge (coastal flooding from rising tides). 

What’s been the impact so far? 
As of writing, at least seven people across the Caribbean have died, and more than 530,000 Jamaicans are without power in the wake of the most severe storm in the island’s recorded history.

Melissa weakened to a Category 4 storm while passing over Jamaica’s mountains, causing even more “catastrophic” damage (think: mudslides) before approaching Cuba early this morning. 

What else?
The Air Force Reserve’s Hurricane Hunters flew into the eye of the storm ahead of landfall to collect data and record the eye’s “stadium effect” (see the wall of clouds) before being forced to turn back due to turbulence. Also unexpectedly on their radar? A flock of birds trapped in the eye. 

Now what? 
Melissa is heading northeast, where she’s expected to weaken further. In the forecast: up to 10 inches of rainfall in the Bahamas and Turks and Caicos before the storm heads back out to sea. 

(We’re covering this story at a 7th-grade reading level with biblical reflection and action steps in Decaf: The Pour Over for Families. Sign up free to get it in your inbox tomorrow!)

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PRAY WITH US
Father, King of Creation, call Your rebellious elements back to order. Jesus, Stiller of Raging Storms, bring peace and freedom from fear. Spirit, Giver of Life, be near with comfort for those who are grieving. 

For those who are lost, search relentlessly and bring them home. For those who will rescue, grant courage and strength. For those who have lost everything, richly provide. To those who will rebuild, give fortitude, endurance, and hope. For Your people, a light in darkness, open doors for bold love. Shine Your light and make new again, Lord of Resurrection and Life.
(Mark 4:35-41; Romans 8:18-30)

U.S. NEWS

Oh SNAP

Funding for grocery support is expected to run dry on Saturday.

As the shutdown drags into Day 29, SNAP—the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program that helps 42M people (roughly one in eight U.S. residents) afford groceries—is set to halt benefits on November 1 unless Congress acts.

Friday, the USDA announced it can’t legally use its $5B contingency fund to cover regular SNAP payments since it’s reserved for emergencies like natural disasters. States and food banks are scrambling to fill gaps temporarily, but both warn they can’t replace federal aid.

Meanwhile, pressure from governors, food banks, and advocacy groups is mounting on lawmakers to find a deal before the weekend. Yesterday, 26 states and D.C. sued the White House, calling the looming cutoff “contrary to law and arbitrary and capricious.”

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Verse to consider as announcements spark heated emotions… “Therefore, putting away lying, speak the truth, each one to his neighbor, because we are members of one another. Be angry and do not sin. Don’t let the sun go down on your anger, and don’t give the devil an opportunity… Let all bitterness, anger and wrath, shouting and slander be removed from you, along with all malice. And be kind and compassionate to one another, forgiving one another, just as God also forgave you in Christ.”
Ephesians 4:25-27, 31-32 (CSB) (read full passage)

FROM OUR PARTNERS

Devastation in the Caribbean

Hurricane Melissa’s winds and torrential rain are bringing utter devastation to Jamaica and parts of Haiti. 

World Concern’s local church partners in both countries are directly responding to urgent needs as communities face flooding, landslides, power loss, and destruction. 

With over 40 years of experience in the region, World Concern’s Christian disaster-response partners are assessing and responding to the hardest-hit areas, bringing aid where it’s needed most. 

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BE DOERS
The Pour Over community can help meet the greatest needs of these families whose worlds are being rocked. A donation of any amount helps local church teams on the ground respond immediately by delivering urgently needed emergency supplies. 

TPO is matching the first $4K donations made through this link.

“If a brother or sister is without clothes and lacks daily food and one of you says to them, ‘Go in peace, stay warm, and be well fed,’ but you don’t give them what the body needs, what good is it?” 
James 2:15-16 (CSB) (read full passage)

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Shohei Ohtani Shohei Ohtani-ed in Monday night’s World Series Game 3. In an 18-inning marathon, Ohtani powered the Dodgers past the Blue Jays six-to-five, going four-for-four with two home runs before being walked… five times. He reached base nine times total in a game that stretched ‘til almost midnight and cemented his October legend status.
 

It’s election season across the world. In Cameroon, protests erupted after 92-year-old President Biya won his eighth term in his 43-year tenure… meaning the world’s oldest leader could be nearly 100 when he leaves office. In Argentina, President Milei’s conservative party won big in midterms; before the vote, President Trump promised a $40B investment for Argentina’s faltering economy if conservatives won.
 

President Trump brought his Sharpies to Asia. Yesterday, #47 signed “very fair” trade and critical minerals deals with Japan’s new PM, which include a 15% tariff on Japanese goods (lower than threatened) and a $550B Japanese investment in America’s industry. Strong optimism that a trade deal with China is next had Wall Street hitting another record high on Monday.
 

Amazon started delivering pink slips to corporate offices yesterday. The e-commerce behemoth is laying off up to 30,000 white-collar employees—nearly 10% of its office workforce—in potentially the largest corporate dismissal in company history (27,000 were let go in 2022). CEO Andy Jassy is spearheading Amazon’s aggressive reinvention to reduce bureaucracy and boost productivity by using AI for routine tasks.
 

A GOP-led committee says Biden’s autopen-signed pardons “should be considered void.” The House Oversight Committee argued that pardons signed by machine rather than by hand don’t “carry the force of law,” citing concerns over presidential authority and authenticity. The report urges the DOJ to investigate, though legal scholars say there’s no mechanism to undo clemency after it is granted.

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