In recent days, the super strong hurricane “Melissa” has been sweeping through multiple Caribbean countries, causing devastating destruction and severe economic losses. As of the time of this report, the hurricane has already claimed more than thirty lives in the Caribbean region.
On Tuesday, October 28th, “Melissa” ravaged the entire island of Jamaica with astonishing power, reaching speeds of 298 kilometers per hour, causing power outages in about three-quarters of the island, flooding in many western areas, destruction of homes by strong winds, and resulting in 8 fatalities. The raging storm raged throughout the night, with a local official describing the scene as resembling a “doomsday movie.” “Melissa” has become the strongest storm to hit Jamaica in modern history.
Following this, on Wednesday, October 29th, “Melissa” made landfall on the southern coast of Cuba, causing severe damage and cutting off hundreds of villages from the outside world. Cuban authorities have reported that approximately 735,000 people have been evacuated.
The National Hurricane Center (NHC) of the United States stated that by the time “Melissa” landed on the southern coast of Cuba in Santiago de Cuba province, its intensity had dropped from Category 5 to Category 3, but the maximum sustained wind speed at landfall was still as high as 200 kilometers per hour. It has since weakened to a Category 1 storm and continues to move northeast, expected to bring strong winds and heavy rain to the Bahamas and Bermuda region.
Although “Melissa” did not directly hit Haiti, the country with the largest population in the Caribbean, it brought continuous heavy rain for several days. The Haitian government announced on Wednesday that the hurricane has already caused at least 23 deaths, 17 injuries, and 13 people missing in the country.
Additionally, one person was reported to have lost their life in the storm in the Dominican Republic.
AccuWeather, a private weather forecasting company in the United States, estimated that the damage caused by “Melissa” in Jamaica alone amounts to $22 billion, and reconstruction efforts may take 10 years or even longer.