Hurricane Melissa batters Jamaica; Makes landfall in Cuba

Hurricane Melissa made landfall in Cuba today, unleashing winds of up to 115 miles per hour and torrential rain after tearing through Jamaica as the strongest storm to hit the island in modern history.

Melissa has already claimed seven lives across the Caribbean so far, three in Jamaica, three in Haiti, and one in the Dominican Republic – as rescue and relief efforts continue across the region.

Heavy floodwaters swept across southwestern Jamaica, winds tore roofs off buildings and boulders tumbled onto roads Tuesday as Hurricane Melissa pummeled the Caribbean island as a catastrophic Category 5 storm.

Landslides, fallen trees and numerous power outages were reported as Melissa hit with 185 mph (295 kph) winds near New Hope.

“There is no infrastructure in the region that can withstand a Category 5,” Prime Minister Andrew Holness said. “The question now is the speed of recovery. That’s the challenge.”

He has declared the island a “disaster area”, warning of devastating impacts following the hurricane’s destruction. Nearly 15,000 people were in shelters in Jamaica and some 540,000 customers, were without power, officials said.

According to the U.S. National Hurricane Center (NHC), Melissa, described as an extremely dangerous hurricane, weakened to a Category 3 storm before striking Santiago de Cuba province on the island’s southern coast.

Cuban authorities reported that more than seven lakh thirty-five thousand people have been evacuated and a state of alert has been declared across six eastern provinces.

The storm is currently moving northeast over eastern Cuba. In neighboring Haiti, officials have ordered the closure of schools, businesses, and government offices as a precaution.

The NHC forecasts that Melissa will pass through the central Bahamas before nearing Bermuda late Thursday as a Category 1 hurricane.

After leaving Cuba, Hurricane Melissa will sweep quickly through the southeast Bahamas today, then make its closest pass to Bermuda late Thursday and Thursday night.

In eastern Cuba, up to 25 inches of total rain could fall through today, with potentially catastrophic flash flooding and landslides. In the southeast Bahamas, up to 10 inches of rain could fall through tonight, accompanied by a 5 to 8-foot storm surge.