Heavy flooding and destructive winds battered southwestern Jamaica on Tuesday as Hurricane Melissa slammed into the island with catastrophic force.
The Category 5 hurricane, one of the strongest ever recorded in the Atlantic, tore roofs off homes, toppled trees, and sent massive boulders crashing onto roads, leaving communities cut off and the nation reeling.
Melissa’s sustained winds of 185 mph (295 kph) ripped through the region near New Hope, triggering landslides and widespread power outages. Officials warned that recovery efforts could take time, given the scale of destruction.
“There is no infrastructure in the region that can withstand a Category 5,” said Prime Minister Andrew Holness. “The question now is the speed of recovery. That’s the challenge.”
In the western community of Black River, rising floodwaters trapped several families inside their homes. Rescue crews were unable to reach them due to life-threatening conditions, said Desmond McKenzie, deputy chairman of Jamaica’s Disaster Risk Management Council.
“Roofs were flying off,” he said. “We are hoping and praying that the situation will ease so that some attempt can be made to get to those persons.”
The southwestern parish of St. Elizabeth was reported to be largely underwater. McKenzie cautioned that it was still too early to gauge the full extent of the destruction, as Melissa, the strongest hurricane to hit Jamaica since recordkeeping began 174 years ago, continued its assault.
Meteorologists warned that the storm’s counterclockwise rotation would drive a dangerous storm surge toward northern Jamaica as Melissa moved off the coast. The system maintained Category 4 strength Tuesday night as it approached eastern Cuba.
Nearly 15,000 people sought shelter across the island, while 77% of Jamaica’s power grid, about 540,000 customers, was knocked offline.
Despite official warnings, a few curious teenagers ventured outside to experience the historic storm.
“When the wind howls, it feels as if the world is falling apart,” said 15-year-old Gavin Fuller. “I wanted to know what it feels like to stand in the eye of something so powerful.”
Colin Bogle, a Mercy Corps adviser, said most families were sheltering in place despite evacuation orders. From Portmore, he described hearing a loud explosion before his neighborhood plunged into darkness.
“The noise is relentless,” he said. “People are anxious and just trying to hold on until the storm passes.”
By Tuesday night, the U.S. National Hurricane Center reported Melissa’s sustained winds at 130 mph (215 kph) as it moved northeast at 9 mph (15 kph), centered about 110 miles (175 kilometers) southwest of Guantánamo, Cuba.
Its earlier wind speeds of 185 mph and a central pressure of 892 millibars tied long-standing records for the most intense Atlantic storm at landfall, matching the 1935 Labor Day hurricane in Florida and 2019’s Hurricane Dorian.
“It’s been a remarkable, just a beast of a storm,” said hurricane researcher Phil Klotzbach of Colorado State University.
Officials expressed concern for hospitals along Jamaica’s coast, where storm surges of up to 13 feet (4 meters) were reported. Four major hospitals sustained damage, and one lost power, forcing the evacuation of 75 patients.
Amid the chaos, a man called a local radio station seeking help for a woman in labor as the hurricane bore down. The host pleaded for guidance until an obstetrician called in to offer detailed instructions on delivering the baby if emergency crews couldn’t arrive in time.
In Kingston, authorities also issued warnings about crocodiles displaced by floodwaters.
McKenzie said the government was ready to launch rescue operations once the storm cleared. “We have boats, helicopters — you name it,” he said.
At least seven deaths across the Caribbean have been linked to Melissa — three in Jamaica, three in Haiti, and one in the Dominican Republic — while another person remained missing.
Emergency officials met late Tuesday to coordinate cleanup and relief efforts and to prevent bottlenecks at Jamaica’s ports, according to Richard Thompson, acting general director for Jamaica’s emergency management office.
Airports were expected to reopen by Thursday as U.N. agencies and humanitarian groups prepared to distribute food, medicine, and essential supplies.
Melissa Takes Aim at Cuba
Forecasters warned that Melissa would make landfall in eastern Cuba early Wednesday, bringing up to 20 inches (51 centimeters) of rainfall and a dangerous coastal surge.
Cuban President Miguel Díaz-Canel urged citizens in a national address not to underestimate “the strongest storm ever to hit national territory.”
In Santiago de Cuba, residents fled low-lying areas for higher ground, crowding into the home of 83-year-old Eduviges Figueroa near the Sierra Maestra mountains. “We’re helping as best we can,” she said. “Now I’m cooking for everyone.”
The usually bustling city of more than one million residents was nearly deserted as families secured homes, livestock, and crops ahead of landfall. “May God have mercy on us, because it’s coming with a lot of strength,” said 36-year-old Diamon Mendoza.
Authorities in eastern Holguín province prepared to evacuate more than 200,000 people, while similar evacuations took place in Banes earlier in the day.
Television broadcasts showed buses packed with families, children clutching bags, and elderly residents leaning on canes as they arrived at emergency shelters.
Reporting was contributed by Dánica Coto in San Juan, Geir Moulson in Berlin, Andrea Rodríguez in Havana, Seth Borenstein in Washington, and Ariel Fernández in Santiago de Cuba.
