Hurricane Melissa made landfall in Jamaica on Tuesday as a devastating Category 5 storm with sustained winds of up to 185 mph (298 km/h), making it the strongest hurricane to ever directly strike the island.
The storm carved a destructive path through Jamaica, Cuba, Haiti and the Bahamas, leaving tens of thousands homeless, major infrastructure damaged, and a rapidly rising death toll. In Haiti alone, at least 30 people perished and more than 20 were reported missing after torrential rainfall caused a river to burst its banks downstream of Petit-Goâve.
Jamaican authorities declared the entire island a disaster zone after the storm surge — estimated up to 13 feet (4 m) on the southern coast — smashed into low-lying communities and damaged hospitals, schools and power networks. Up to 77% of electricity customers were knocked out.
In eastern Cuba, more than 735,000 people were evacuated ahead of Melissa’s arrival as a Category 3 hurricane. While no deaths have been confirmed there so far, widespread crop damage, communication blackouts and housing destruction have complicated relief efforts.
Estimates suggest that damage from Melissa could reach between US $48 billion and US $52 billion, marking it among the most expensive Atlantic storms on record.
Climate scientists and regional leaders say that the storm’s record-breaking intensity and slow movement highlight how warming oceans and stalled weather systems are compounding hurricane risks across the Caribbean. “Melissa is likely to be viewed as the ‘storm of the century’ for Jamaica,” one expert told The Guardian.
Aid efforts have begun, but logistical challenges remain acute. Roads are blocked, shelters overcrowded, and many rural communities remain cut off by floods and fallen trees. Jamaica’s military has been mobilised to assist with evacuation and road clearance.
As Melissa moves north-east toward Bermuda and the open Atlantic, emergency services are warning that the danger is far from over. Heavy rains, storm surges and lingering wind damage continue to pose threats to vulnerable coastal and island communities.
The scale of devastation now facing the hardest hit countries — especially Jamaica and Haiti — suggests recovery will take months if not years, and the event is already sharpening calls for greater investment in disaster preparedness and climate resilience across the region.
