Hurricane Melissa Slams Cuba After Devastating Jamaica Strike

Hurricane Melissa Slams Cuba After Devastating Jamaica Strike
 

Hurricane Melissa has made landfall in Cuba with sustained winds of 120mph, battering the island’s southern coast after tearing through Jamaica as the strongest storm in the nation’s modern history.

The US National Hurricane Center (NHC) confirmed the Category 3 hurricane struck Cuba’s southeast early Wednesday, with “extremely dangerous” conditions reported across the provinces of Granma, Santiago de Cuba, Guantánamo, Holguín, and Las Tunas. The NHC also issued warnings for the southeastern and central Bahamas as the storm moves north.

In Jamaica, Prime Minister Andrew Holness has declared the country a “disaster area” following Melissa’s catastrophic landfall as a Category 5 system on Tuesday. The full extent of the damage remains unclear, but officials report “massive floods” in Montego Bay, where half the city has been cut off by rising waters.

“It has been a very long day for us battling through the storm,” said Montego Bay mayor Richard Vernon, who described widespread flooding but added that waters were beginning to recede. “The first thing we have to do now is check if everybody is alive.”

British tourist Wayne Gibson, sheltering with his family in Ocho Rios, told the BBC that guests had been ordered to remain in communal areas due to safety fears. “The rain is lashing on the big glass panels which is unnerving and unsettling,” he said. “We are tired — but we can’t forget those in a worse position than us.”

BBC Weather reports Melissa is among the most powerful storms to strike Cuba since 2017. Authorities in both nations are bracing for continued flooding and storm surges as emergency teams begin rescue operations at first light.

Key Takeaways:

• Category 5: Hurricane Melissa hit Jamaica as its strongest storm on record before slamming into Cuba.

• Massive Flooding: Montego Bay’s mayor says half the city was cut off, with rescues expected at daybreak.

• Regional Alert: The NHC has issued hurricane warnings for eastern Cuba and the Bahamas.

Source: BBC News