Hurricane Melissa Makes Cat 5 Landfall in Jamaica

Hurricane Melissa made landfall on Jamaica’s southwest coast near New Hope as a catastrophic Category 5 storm with sustained winds up to 185 mph, the strongest on record to hit the island. The storm ripped roofs off buildings, caused landslides and widespread flooding — with the parish of St Elizabeth reported “underwater” — damaged multiple hospitals and left more than half a million customers (about 77%) without power while roughly 15,000 people sheltered. At least seven deaths have been blamed on the storm across the region (three in Jamaica, three in Haiti and one in the Dominican Republic), and officials said comprehensive damage assessments will take days because communications and power remain disrupted. Melissa weakened to Category 3 after crossing Jamaica but remained powerful as it moved toward Cuba and the Bahamas, where authorities urged evacuations and NOAA “Hurricane Hunter” flights recorded a very large eye. Prime Minister Andrew Holness said no local infrastructure could withstand a Category 5 and the government set aside an emergency US$33 million budget as relief preparations ramped up. Health officials warned of secondary hazards, including displaced crocodiles, and scientists linked the storm’s exceptional intensity to human-driven climate change, complicating recovery and rebuilding efforts.