Hurricane Melissa Batters Jamaica, Heads Toward Cuba as Category 4 Storm; Seven Dead Across Caribbean

After making landfall in Jamaica as the island’s most powerful storm on record, Hurricane Melissa was barreling toward Cuba on Tuesday as a Category 4 storm, leaving at least seven people dead across the Caribbean.

According to the US National Hurricane Center (NHC), Melissa struck near Jamaica’s southwestern town of New Hope as a Category 5 hurricane, packing sustained winds of up to 185 mph — well above the 157 mph threshold for the top classification on the Saffir-Simpson wind scale.

Prime Minister Andrew Holness declared Jamaica a “disaster area”, warning residents to stay sheltered as the storm triggered widespread flooding, landslides, and power outages across the island. Damage assessments are still underway, with much of the country still without electricity.

Key Developments:

Seven Dead Across the Caribbean:
At least seven people — three in Jamaica, three in Haiti, and one in the Dominican Republic — have died as Melissa sweeps across the region. In Jamaica, two people were killed by falling trees and one was electrocuted while preparing for the storm.

Melissa Approaches Cuba:
The storm is now tracking northeast toward Cuba’s Santiago de Cuba province. President Miguel Díaz-Canel warned residents to brace for “significant damage,” saying the country would begin feeling the storm’s full force by Tuesday evening.

Mass Evacuations in Cuba and the Bahamas:
Cuban authorities have ordered about 500,000 people to evacuate to higher ground. Meanwhile, officials in the Bahamas, next in Melissa’s projected path, have begun evacuations from the southern islands.

‘Storm of the Century’ for Jamaica:
Experts have called Melissa Jamaica’s strongest-ever hurricane, with the World Meteorological Organization (WMO) describing the situation as “catastrophic.” The storm crossed some of the island’s most fertile agricultural zones, reminiscent of Hurricane Beryl (2024).

‘A Roaring Lion’:
Melissa made landfall between Westmoreland and St. Elizabeth parishes, submerging St. Elizabeth in floodwaters and knocking out power to its only hospital, which also sustained structural damage. Local government minister Desmond McKenzie confirmed several families were stranded but said rescue teams had reached a group that included four infants.

A resident in Portland Cottage, nearly 100 miles from landfall, described the storm’s fury to Reuters: “It’s like a roaring lion. It’s mad. Really mad.”