Catastrophic Damage Reported as One of History’s Strongest Atlantic Hurricanes Strikes Caribbean
KINGSTON, Jamaica (ATP): Hurricane Melissa, initially one of the strongest Atlantic hurricanes on record, has left a trail of “catastrophic damage” across the northern Caribbean and is currently centered off Jamaica’s northern coast as it moves toward Cuba.
According to reports, The storm, which had struck Jamaica as a powerful Category 5 storm with sustained winds of 175 mph (280 kph), has since weakened slightly but remains a dangerous Category 3 hurricane (or Category 4, according to some reports) as it continues its westward trajectory.
Jamaican Prime Minister Andrew Holness warned of the immense devastation on the island, where the storm caused extensive damage to crucial infrastructure, including homes, hospitals, and schools, particularly in the southwestern region. The sheer intensity of the hurricane—the strongest to hit the island in nearly two centuries—is expected to make cleanup and recovery a slow process.
The storm has already claimed at least seven lives across the northern Caribbean, including three in Jamaica, three in Haiti, and one in the Dominican Republic. More than ten people have been reported injured across the affected nations.
Forecasters are cautioning that the hurricane continues to pose an extreme threat as it approaches Cuba, warning of life-threatening flash floods, widespread power outages, and landslides across the northern Caribbean. Cuban authorities have reportedly ordered the relocation of hundreds of thousands of people in preparation for the storm’s arrival.
