Hurricane Melissa Devastates Jamaica as Record-Breaking Storm Hits Land
Hurricane Melissa has made landfall in Jamaica — and the scene unfolding across the island is nothing short of catastrophic. This massive Category 5 storm, one of the most powerful ever recorded in the Caribbean, struck the country early Tuesday with sustained winds close to 300 kilometers per hour. It’s being described as the strongest hurricane to ever hit Jamaica since weather records began, even more intense than the legendary Hurricane Gilbert of 1988.
Melissa made landfall near New Hope, about 160 kilometers southwest of Kingston, and within hours, the entire island began feeling its devastating force. Power lines have been torn down, widespread flooding has hit multiple regions, and communication networks are failing as strong winds batter homes and infrastructure. In some parts of the island, including the capital, electricity has been completely knocked out.
Local authorities and international agencies had been warning residents for days, but despite repeated calls to evacuate, many Jamaicans chose to stay behind — some citing mistrust of the evacuation shelters after bad experiences in the past. The Jamaican government had identified over 800 sites as potential shelters, yet the number of people who actually used them was far below expectations. The National Hurricane Center (NHC) had urged anyone who couldn’t leave their homes to take refuge in windowless rooms and use mattresses or helmets for protection.
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The country’s Prime Minister, Andrew Holness, has already warned that the western region could face “unprecedented damage,” with some buildings unlikely to withstand the storm. The Red Cross estimates that more than half of Jamaica’s population — roughly 1.5 million people — may be affected in some way by Melissa. So far, at least three deaths have been confirmed in Jamaica, in addition to several casualties reported in Haiti and the Dominican Republic.
What’s even more concerning is the potential for catastrophic landslides. The island had already experienced heavy rainfall in the weeks leading up to the hurricane, making the ground unstable. Meteorologists say it’s the water, not just the wind, that often causes the most deaths in such disasters.
Climate experts, including the renowned meteorologist Kerry Emanuel, have pointed to climate change as a major factor behind the storm’s rapid intensification. Warmer ocean waters are fueling stronger and more unpredictable hurricanes — and Melissa seems to be a dramatic example of that.
Meanwhile, stories from people on the ground reveal the human toll of this disaster. In Negril, a Canadian expatriate described watching her neighbor’s roof fly away and rain pouring into her home as windows shattered. Across the island, residents are clinging to whatever safety they can find, waiting for the winds to pass.
Now, as Melissa continues its deadly path northward toward Cuba and the Bahamas, the full scale of destruction in Jamaica is only beginning to emerge. What’s clear is that this will be remembered as one of the most devastating storms in the nation’s history — a stark reminder of nature’s growing fury in a changing world.
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