Hurricane Melissa struck Cuba after parts of neighboring Jamaica were devastated and reeling from fierce winds and heavy rain.
The strongest tropical cyclone to hit Jamaica in nearly two centuries, Melissa is one of the strongest Atlantic hurricanes on record since records began. Climate scientists say man-made global warming has contributed to… rapid intensification of modern storms.
Many Jamaicans woke up without power Wednesday after reports of entire neighborhoods underwater. Prime Minister Andrew Holness declared the country a disaster zone, giving authorities additional powers such as issuing mandatory evacuation orders for flooded regions and preventing price gouging.
Massive damage was reported across the island, much of it in the western parts where the Category 5 cyclonic storm slowly moved diagonally across the land, ripping roofs off buildings and overturning cars. Photos show a tree uprooted from the ground and roads filled with gravel and dirt.
Jamaica's Local Government Minister Desmond McKenzie said the storm was “one of the worst things that has ever happened.” [Jamaica] ever encountered.”
“Our infrastructure is seriously compromised,” he said. “All of Jamaica felt the brunt of Melissa.” In a country of 2.8 million people, about 15,000 people are in shelters and more than 530,000 are without power.
Alexander Pendry, global response manager for the British Red Cross, said early signs suggested Melissa was “a disaster of unprecedented magnitude for the island”.
He said the Jamaica Red Cross' priority is to get aid to people as quickly as possible. “Unfortunately, experience tells us that the impact on communities and individuals will be devastating and long-lasting,” he added.
Although the hurricane is not in a direct path, other Caribbean countries were also affected. Authorities in neighboring Haiti said at least 10 people were killed in the floods. The La Digue River in the coastal town of Petit Goave overflowed its banks, killing several people.
A Category 5 hurricane is the strongest on the Saffir-Simpson scale, with winds exceeding 157 mph (250 km/h), but the US National Hurricane Center reported that Melissa had sustained winds of 185 mph (298 km/h) in Jamaica.
Even after losing some power and downgrading to a Category 3 storm, Melissa could still be catastrophic for humanity. Cuba.
Cuban President Miguel Diaz-Canel said Wednesday that Melissa caused “enormous damage” after making landfall on the island country's southern coast overnight.
“The early morning was very difficult,” Diaz-Canel said on social media. “Extensive damage and Hurricane Melissa are still over Cuban territory. I urge our people to remain vigilant, remain disciplined and remain securely sheltered.”
More than 735,000 people were evacuated from their homes after forecasters warned the low-pressure system would cause catastrophic damage to Santiago de Cuba, the island's second-largest city.
Melissa is expected to cross the island in the morning and move to the Bahamas later on Wednesday.
Climate scientists said Hurricane Melissa intensifies – wind speeds doubled from 70 to 140 mph in just a day – likely a symptom of the rapidly warming of the world's oceans, part of the human-caused climate crisis.
Many Caribbean leaders have called on wealthy governments in polluting countries to provide reparations in the form of aid or debt relief to tropical island countries.
