Hurricane Melissa was one of the most powerful Atlantic storms to hit the Caribbean region in more than 150 years, bringing destruction and death to the Caribbean.
Torrential rain and strong winds caused widespread destruction along the storm’s path in Jamaica, Cuba, and the Bahamas Islands. At least 30 people were killed, but it could be days or weeks before the total damage caused by the devastating storm is known.
As the hurricane headed toward Bermuda early Thursday, emergency officials in countries along Melissa’s path began recovery efforts, including clearing roads to reach isolated communities in need of relief.
Jamaican Prime Minister Andrew Holness on Wednesday visited some of the island nation’s worst-hit areas to assess severe damage caused by severe winds and widespread flooding.
“Despite the challenges, the Jamaican spirit is a strong reminder that we are a resilient nation with the ability to overcome adversity,” he wrote on social media.
In the Caribbean, warmer-than-average ocean waters and minimally destructive winds high above the atmosphere combined to create the perfect fuel and perfect conditions for Melissa to strengthen.
Melissa rapidly strengthened, rising from a 110 mph tropical storm on Saturday morning to a Category 4 hurricane with 140 mph winds on Sunday morning.
By Tuesday, Melissa had transformed into a high-end Category 5 hurricane with maximum sustained winds of 185 mph, joining four other hurricanes as the second strongest storm in the Atlantic Ocean since records began in 1851.
It hit the coast of Jamaica as a Category 5 storm on Tuesday, but the World Meteorological Organization (WMO) warned that conditions were expected to be “catastrophic”.
“This will definitely be the storm of the century for Jamaica,” said WMO tropical cyclone expert Anne-Claire Fontan.
It made landfall in eastern Cuba during the night between Tuesday and Wednesday, but was still a serious Category 3 hurricane when it made landfall in the province of Santiago de Cuba.
By the time it reached the Bahamas on Wednesday, Hurricane Melissa had been downgraded to Category 1, but its wide wind field continued to produce torrential rain, bringing winds and dangerous storm surge to the coast.
More than 735,000 people were evacuated in Cuba as Melissa approached, according to President Miguel Diaz-Canel, while in the Bahamas, 1,485 residents were evacuated before all flights were grounded ahead of the storm’s approach, according to preliminary estimates.
Evacuation orders were also issued for six islands in the Bahamas.
Other countries such as the Dominican Republic and Haiti also felt the devastating effects of Melissa.
Across the Caribbean, officials painted a consistent picture of the destruction Melissa left behind.
“The situation here is catastrophic. ‘Catastrophic’ is a mild word based on what we are observing here,” Richard Solomon, mayor of the city of Black River in southwestern Jamaica, where Hurricane Melissa made landfall, said in a video posted by the Jamaica Police Service.
The government said the storm hit the island, injuring around 140,000 people.
CNN reporters observed a medical scene in the town of Santa Cruz where residents and military personnel pushed more than a dozen ambulances through storm debris to reach hard-hit coastal areas in western Jamaica.
Jamaican authorities have recovered at least four bodies from St. Elizabeth Parish, which was severely damaged by Hurricane Melissa, a government official told CNN on Wednesday. Jamaican police on Thursday confirmed eight more deaths in Westmoreland, Hanover and St. James.
Three people also died while preparing for the storm.
Mr Holness on Tuesday declared the country a disaster zone in a bid to stop price gouging.
“We must continue to … proactively maintain stability, protect consumers and prevent exploitation of any kind as our people have food, water and supplies,” Holness said.
A spokesperson said about 77% of the country was without power after Melissa passed through. Desmond McKenzie, Jamaica’s Minister of Local Government and Regional Development, said the country’s infrastructure has been hit and is “at serious risk.”
About 25,000 tourists remained in Jamaica as the country recovers from the storm, Education, Skills, Youth and Information Minister Dana Morris-Dixon said in a statement.
Twenty-three people have died and 13 are missing in already beleaguered Haiti, the country’s civil protection agency announced on Wednesday. Twenty of the deaths, including 10, occurred when a flooded river burst its banks in Petit Goave, authorities said, revising the 25 death toll previously announced by the mayor.
Stephen Gadar, a resident of Petit Goave, told The Associated Press that his entire family was killed in the storm.
“There were four children at home: a one-month-old baby, a seven-year-old, an eight-year-old and a baby who was almost four years old,” he said.
Cuban President Miguel Diaz-Canel said Hurricane Melissa had caused “significant” damage to the island.
“It was a very complicated night with significant damage reported,” Diaz-Canel wrote to X. “I urge our people to remain vigilant, disciplined and continue to take all necessary precautions.”
Several international efforts have already been launched to support recovery efforts.
Britain announced on Wednesday it would commit 2.5 million pounds ($3.3 million) in emergency humanitarian funding.
China’s ambassador to Cuba shared a video on social media showing hundreds of boxes labeled “family kits” being transported from a warehouse.
US President Donald Trump on Wednesday authorized an “immediate US response” to mobilize aid to affected communities in the Caribbean, according to a statement released by the State Department.
Within hours, Secretary of State Marco Rubio “dispatched regional disaster assistance response teams, including urban search and rescue teams, to assess needs and provide search and recovery assistance,” the statement said.
“The State Department is working with United Nations agencies, NGOs, and host governments to provide food, water, medical supplies, hygiene kits, temporary shelter, and search and rescue assistance.”
The Jamaican government has launched an official website for relief and recovery efforts, where users can access up-to-date information on flood locations and road closures and find shelter.
This story has been updated with additional information.
