Kingston/Havana: Hurricane Melissa, the most powerful storm to strike the Caribbean in decades, hit Jamaica on Wednesday and is now moving toward Cuba, prompting large-scale evacuations and emergency precautions.
According to international media reports, more than 700,000 people across Cuba have been evacuated to safer areas due to fears of flooding, storm surges, and severe destruction.
The U.S. National Hurricane Center (NHC) said that Melissa initially struck Jamaica as a Category 5 hurricane, generating winds of up to 185 kilometers per hour, before weakening slightly to Category 4 as it advanced toward Cuba.
Heavy rainfall, flash floods, and landslides have been reported across the Caribbean, with at least seven deaths confirmed so far — three in Jamaica, three in Haiti, and one in the Dominican Republic.
Jamaican Prime Minister Andrew Holness warned that the nation’s infrastructure is “not built to withstand a Category 5 hurricane,” urging citizens to remain indoors and cooperate with emergency services.
Melissa is expected to continue moving northwest, bringing torrential rain and destructive winds to parts of eastern Cuba and the Bahamas in the coming hours. Regional disaster response teams remain on high alert.