Hurricane Melissa has caused widespread destruction and loss of life across Cuba, Haiti, and Jamaica. The storm stripped roofs from homes, toppled power lines, and soaked furniture, leaving communities struggling to recover.
In Jamaica’s St. Elizabeth parish, mudslides blocked key roads, isolating towns. Residents worked to clear floodwaters and salvage belongings. A public shelter suffered roof damage from the hurricane’s fierce winds.
The full extent of the damage remains unclear due to ongoing power outages and communication blackouts. Dana Morris Dixon, Jamaica’s education minister, said, “It is too early for us to say definitively.”
Melissa made landfall in Jamaica as a Category 5 hurricane with winds of 185 mph (295 kph), ranking among the strongest Atlantic hurricanes recorded. It weakened as it moved over Cuba but still inflicted severe damage.
Haiti’s Civil Protection Agency reported at least 25 dead and 18 missing, many from a coastal town where flooding collapsed homes. Jamaica confirmed at least eight fatalities. Cuba saw collapsed houses and blocked mountain roads, with around 735,000 people sheltered.
In Jamaica, more than 25,000 people took refuge in shelters. 77% of the island was without power, complicating disaster response. “Recovery will take time, but the government is fully mobilised,” Prime Minister Andrew Holness said.
In Black River, Mayor Richard Solomon described the situation as “catastrophic,” with emergency services overwhelmed by floodwaters. Jamaican Transport Minister Daryl Vaz said two airports reopened for relief flights, supported by UN agencies and nonprofits.
The United States is sending aid teams to assist recovery, Secretary of State Marco Rubio announced on X.
Haitian town Petit-Goâve was heavily impacted, with over 160 homes damaged and 80 destroyed. Ten of the 20 fatalities there were children. Lawyer Charly Saint-Vil described widespread loss and concerns over access to essentials worsened by l’instabilité politique en Haïti. “People have lost everything,” he said.
In Cuba, residents in Santiago de Cuba began clearing debris after the storm. Fisherman Alexis Ramos said, “Life is what matters. Repairing this costs money, a lot of money.” The Juan Bruno Zayas Clinical Hospital suffered severe damage. President Miguel Díaz-Canel pledged on X to begin recovery “as soon as conditions allow.”
Melissa’s heavy rains and 90 mph (150 kph) winds continue to threaten the Bahamas, where evacuations were underway ahead of expected storm surges up to 7 feet (2 metres). The storm is forecast to pass near Bermuda by Thursday.