Hurricane Melissa, one of the most powerful Atlantic storms in recorded history, unleashed catastrophic destruction across Jamaica before setting its sights on Cuba late Tuesday. With sustained winds of up to 185 miles per hour, the Category 5 storm devastated communities, uprooted trees, demolished homes, and left more than half a million residents without electricity. It is being described by meteorologists as one of the strongest hurricanes ever to hit the Caribbean, marking a grim chapter in the region’s ongoing battle against intensifying climate disasters.
The storm first made landfall near New Hope on Jamaica’s southwest coast, pounding the island with torrential rain and violent winds. St. Elizabeth parish, one of the hardest-hit areas, was described as “completely underwater,” with hospitals sustaining severe damage and communications cut off in multiple regions. Government officials confirmed that rescue operations were delayed due to life-threatening conditions, as fallen trees and collapsed infrastructure made access impossible. Deputy Disaster Council chairman Desmond McKenzie said, “Roofs were flying off homes. We are hoping and praying for a break in conditions so that rescue teams can reach the stranded families.”
By nightfall, the U.S. National Hurricane Center reported that Melissa had weakened slightly to 145 mph as it moved northeast past Jamaica’s mountain ranges. However, the reduced wind speed brought little relief. Landslides had already wiped out roads, leaving many rural communities isolated. Authorities confirmed that at least three families were trapped in their homes in the Black River region, awaiting emergency rescue. Local media reported that seven people had lost their lives across Jamaica, Haiti, and the Dominican Republic during storm preparations. Over 15,000 residents took shelter in temporary facilities, even as evacuation orders covered nearly twice that number.
Meteorologists monitoring the storm called Melissa a “behemoth of nature.” Data collected by NOAA’s “Hurricane Hunter” aircraft revealed a massive 22-mile-wide eye—an indicator of exceptional storm intensity. The World Meteorological Organization (WMO) labeled it “the storm of the century” for Jamaica. WMO expert Anne-Claire Fontan warned that storm surges could reach up to four meters, enough to submerge coastal towns. AccuWeather scientists ranked Melissa as the third most intense hurricane ever recorded in the Caribbean, surpassed only by Hurricane Wilma in 2005 and Hurricane Gilbert in 1988—the latter being the last storm to directly strike Jamaica.
Jamaican Prime Minister Andrew Holness addressed the nation, announcing an emergency budget of $33 million to fund immediate relief and reconstruction. The government also activated insurance mechanisms and appealed for international assistance, comparing the disaster to the devastation left by Hurricane Beryl just a year earlier. “This is a test of resilience for our people,” Holness said, urging citizens to stay strong as recovery efforts began under difficult circumstances.
Witnesses described scenes of terror and heartbreak. In Portland Cottage, retiree Collin Henry McDonald said the storm’s roar “sounded like a raging lion tearing through everything.” In the Kingston area, humanitarian adviser Colin Bogle recalled a “deafening explosion” as the city plunged into darkness. He added that the storm revived painful memories of past disasters, saying, “People are terrified. It feels like Jamaica keeps paying the price for a climate crisis we did not create.”
Environmental scientists have linked Hurricane Melissa’s unprecedented power to the broader trend of global warming, which is heating ocean waters and fuelling faster, stronger storms. Caribbean leaders have renewed calls for climate reparations and financial relief from industrialised nations responsible for high emissions.
As Melissa approached Cuba, President Miguel DÃaz-Canel urged citizens to brace for the worst. He confirmed that nearly half a million Cubans had already been evacuated from high-risk zones and warned that the storm would bring “significant damage.” Residents in coastal regions were told to move inland immediately, while emergency shelters were prepared across Santiago de Cuba and surrounding provinces.
Neighbouring nations also faced cascading threats. The Bahamas issued evacuation orders for its southern islands, while Haiti and the Dominican Republic continued to suffer from relentless rain and flooding that had already claimed several lives. The Red Cross estimated that up to 1.5 million Jamaicans were directly affected, emphasising the urgent need for food, water, medical aid, and agricultural recovery support.
Despite weakening slightly, Hurricane Melissa remains a massive system capable of widespread destruction. The U.S. National Hurricane Center warned that its slow movement could prolong rainfall and flooding over both Jamaica and eastern Cuba, compounding the humanitarian crisis. Relief agencies have begun mobilising global assistance, but officials caution that full recovery could take months.
As the Caribbean braces for the storm’s next chapter, Melissa stands as a stark reminder of the growing ferocity of tropical systems in a warming world—a symbol of both nature’s power and the vulnerability of island nations caught in its path.
