Hurricane Melissa Devastates Caribbean; Dozens Dead

Hurricane Melissa, a slow-moving, record‑intense Category 5 that ranked among the strongest Atlantic hurricanes, made landfall in Jamaica and has ripped through Jamaica, eastern Cuba, Haiti and the Bahamas while threatening Bermuda. Official death tolls remain fluid but current confirmed counts are roughly 19 in Jamaica and about 30 in Haiti, with regional totals approaching 49–50 as search-and-rescue continues. Cuba evacuated roughly 735,000 people in eastern provinces, and communications, transport and power are largely down across hard-hit areas, leaving hundreds of thousands without electricity and thousands displaced. Jamaica has mobilized military and reserve personnel to assist relief efforts, U.S. disaster teams are deploying to the region, and the UK has announced emergency funding. Early economic-loss assessments put potential damages in the tens of billions, and scientists say Melissa’s exceptional intensity was amplified by warmer ocean temperatures linked to human-caused climate change. Survivors, including stranded tourists and honeymooners, report harrowing conditions as aid access remains highly constrained.