The monster storm was still 110 miles (175 kilometers) away from Guantanamo late Tuesday but was “re-strengthening” to a Category 4 hurricane “as it approaches eastern Cuba,” the National Hurricane Center (NHC) said in its latest advisory.
The storm took hours to pass over Jamaica — a crossing that weakened its winds, dropping them to Category 3 strength from the maximum level 5 — before intensifying again.
“Melissa is expected to remain a powerful hurricane as it moves across Cuba, the Bahamas, and near Bermuda,” the NHC said, adding that the storm is forecast to make landfall in Cuba “as an extremely dangerous major hurricane in the next few hours.”
Jamaican Prime Minister Andrew Holness declared the island a “disaster area,” and authorities urged residents to remain sheltered amid continued risks of flooding and landslides, as dangerous weather persisted even after the hurricane’s core moved on.
Lisa Sangster, a 30-year-old communications specialist in Kingston, said her home was devastated by the storm.
“My sister explained that parts of our roof were blown off and other parts caved in, and the entire house was flooded,” she told AFP.
“Outside structures like our outdoor kitchen, dog kennel, and animal pens were also gone — destroyed.”
The full scale of Melissa’s damage in Jamaica was not yet clear; a comprehensive assessment could take days. Much of the island remained without power, and communications networks were badly disrupted.
At its peak, the storm packed ferocious sustained winds of 185 miles per hour (295 kilometers per hour). Immediate details regarding casualties were not available.
Government minister Desmond McKenzie said several hospitals had been damaged, including those in Saint Elizabeth, a coastal district he said was “underwater.”
“The damage to Saint Elizabeth is extensive, based on what we have seen,” he told a briefing.
“Saint Elizabeth is the breadbasket of the country, and it has taken a beating. The entire Jamaica has felt the brunt of Melissa.”
The hurricane was the strongest ever to strike Jamaica, hitting land with maximum wind speeds surpassing even some of recent history’s most destructive storms, including 2005’s Katrina, which devastated New Orleans.
Severely Damaged Infrastructure
Even before Melissa slammed into Jamaica, seven deaths — three in Jamaica, three in Haiti, and one in the Dominican Republic — had been attributed to the worsening conditions.
Jamaica’s climate change minister told CNN that Melissa’s impact was “catastrophic,” citing flooded homes and “severely damaged public infrastructure” and hospitals.
Mathue Tapper, 31, told AFP from Kingston that those in the capital were “lucky” but feared for fellow Jamaicans in the island’s rural areas.
“My heart goes out to the folks living on the western end of the island,” he said.
Climate Change Impact
Broad scientific consensus holds that human-driven climate change is responsible for the intensification of storms like Melissa, which are becoming increasingly frequent and bring greater potential for destruction and deadly flooding.
Melissa lingered over Jamaica long enough that the rainfall was particularly devastating.
“Human-caused climate change is making all of the worst aspects of Hurricane Melissa even worse,” said climate scientist Daniel Gilford.
The Jamaican Red Cross, which was distributing drinking water and hygiene kits ahead of infrastructure disruptions, said Melissa’s “slow nature” exacerbated anxiety among residents.
The UN is planning an airlift of some 2,000 relief kits to Jamaica from a relief supply station in Barbados once air travel resumes.
Assistance is also planned for other affected countries, including Cuba and Haiti, UN spokesperson Stephane Dujarric told journalists.
Jamaican officials said around 25,000 tourists were in the country, famed for its normally crystalline waters.
