Hurricane Melissa slams into Jamaica with catastrophic force

Hurricane Melissa, a monstrous Category 5 storm described by experts as the most powerful tropical cyclone of the year, made landfall in Jamaica on Tuesday, unleashing catastrophic winds, torrential rains, and widespread flooding across the island nation.

The US National Hurricane Center (NHC) reported that Melissa roared ashore near the southwestern parish of Saint Elizabeth with sustained winds nearing 300 km/h (185 mph) and a central pressure of 892 millibars, among the lowest ever recorded in the Atlantic basin. Officials warned that the storm’s slow crawl across Jamaica would prolong the devastation, producing “total building failures” and “life-threatening conditions” across large parts of the country.

Prime Minister Andrew Holness called Melissa the “storm of the century,” urging residents to remain sheltered. “Hurricane Melissa is a powerful Category 5 storm posing a serious threat to the lives and livelihoods of Jamaicans,” Holness said in a statement. His office launched an emergency relief website to coordinate aid, report incidents, and gather donations for the island’s recovery.

By nightfall, power outages had affected more than 50,000 customers, according to the Jamaica Public Service Company, and communication lines were down in multiple parishes. Floodwaters surged through streets in St Catherine and Westmoreland, while landslides blocked roads and toppled trees across the mountainous interior.

Colin Bogle, a Mercy Corps adviser sheltering with family near Kingston, described an atmosphere of fear and uncertainty. “The noise is relentless. People are anxious and just trying to hold on until the storm passes,” he said.

The Red Cross said it had opened nearly 400 shelters nationwide, housing more than 5,000 people. However, many Jamaicans refused to evacuate, citing fears of looting or unsafe shelter conditions. “I am not moving,” said Roy Brown, a plumber from Port Royal. “I don’t believe I can run from death.”

Meteorologists warned that rainfall could reach up to 750mm (30 inches) in some areas, triggering flash floods and mudslides. “This is going to be a very dangerous scenario,” said NHC Director Michael Brennan. “We’re expecting catastrophic wind damage and storm surges of up to 13 feet.”

Beyond Jamaica, Hurricane Melissa is projected to track northward toward eastern Cuba by early Wednesday, where authorities have already evacuated more than 200,000 people. Cuban Health Minister Jose Angel Portal Miranda urged citizens to “comply with all protective measures” as rain bands from the storm began lashing the island’s eastern provinces.

International aid offers poured in from the United States, United Kingdom, European Union, and regional bodies including CARICOM and the United Nations. The UN’s humanitarian agency said its immediate priority was “to save as many lives as possible,” warning of potential waterborne disease outbreaks in the storm’s aftermath.

Scientists say storms like Melissa are becoming more frequent and severe due to human-driven climate change. “Human-caused warming is making all of the worst aspects of Hurricane Melissa even worse,” climate scientist Daniel Gilford told international media.