Hurricane Melissa Slams Cuba After Leaving Jamaica Devastated

Hurricane Melissa struck Cuba’s southern coast on Wednesday, just hours after tearing through neighboring Jamaica — the most powerful cyclone ever to hit the Caribbean island.

According to the U.S. National Hurricane Center (NHC), Melissa was last located about 60 miles (95 kilometers) west-southwest of Guantánamo, with maximum sustained winds reaching 120 mph (195 kph).

Meteorologists in Miami said the storm had weakened to a Category 3 hurricane after making landfall near New Hope in southwestern Jamaica. At its peak, Melissa packed winds of up to 185 mph (295 kph) — well above the 157 mph threshold that defines a Category 5 hurricane, the highest level on the Saffir–Simpson scale.

“It’s likely that there will be some loss of life,” Jamaican Prime Minister Andrew Holness said.

Officials reported that parts of St. Elizabeth Parish in southwestern Jamaica were “completely submerged,” leaving more than 500,000 people without electricity.

Speaking to CNN after the storm passed, Holness said, “So far, reports indicate significant damage to hospitals, homes, commercial properties, and our road infrastructure.” While no deaths had been officially confirmed, he added, “Given the strength of the storm and the scale of the destruction, we do expect that there will be fatalities.”

The NHC said Melissa’s winds had eased to 145 mph (233 kph) as it moved past the island’s mountainous terrain, but warned that landslides and flash floods remained a major threat.

500,000 People Evacuated in Cuba

Cuban authorities ordered the evacuation of about half a million people to higher ground. In the Bahamas, which lies northeast along Melissa’s projected path, the government issued evacuation orders for residents in the southern islands.

Farther east, the island shared by Haiti and the Dominican Republic saw several days of heavy rain, which officials said caused at least four deaths.

Local media in Jamaica reported that at least three people died during storm preparations, while a disaster coordinator suffered a stroke as the hurricane intensified and was hospitalized. By late Tuesday night, large parts of the island remained isolated and without communication.