Hurricane “Melissa” made landfall on Tuesday (28th) on the southwestern coast of Jamaica with maximum sustained winds of up to 295 kilometers per hour, becoming the strongest storm ever recorded in the region. As of the time of reporting, this hurricane has caused at least 7 deaths and more than 20 injuries in the Caribbean region.
According to the National Hurricane Center in the United States, at around noon on Tuesday local time (around 1 p.m. Eastern Time), “Melissa” made landfall near the town of New Hope in southwestern Jamaica with the power of a Category 5 hurricane. It crossed Jamaica within a few hours, bringing destructive strong winds, heavy rain, and life-threatening storm surges, causing numerous trees to fall and power outages.
Authorities predict that some areas could receive up to 750 millimeters of rainfall, raising concerns about potential flooding and landslides. Jamaican Prime Minister Andrew Holness stated that the western part of the island lacks the infrastructure to withstand a Category 5 hurricane, potentially leading to widespread destruction.
According to the Jamaican Minister of Health and Wellness, at least 3 people in the country lost their lives during the disaster preparedness period, with 2 fatalities from fallen trees and one person electrocuted. Additionally, there were fatalities in Haiti and the Dominican Republic, with 3 and 1 person reported dead respectively.
Currently, “Melissa” has weakened to a Category 4 hurricane and is expected to reach eastern Cuba by early Wednesday local time, bringing strong winds and continuous rainfall to countries like Haiti and the Dominican Republic. The Cuban government has evacuated nearly 650,000 people from the eastern regions and shut down three power plants to mitigate potential severe losses caused by the hurricane.
According to data from the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) in the United States, “Melissa” is the most powerful tropical storm globally recorded this year, surpassing even Super Typhoon “Ragasa” that swept through East Asia in September with sustained winds of 267 kilometers per hour.