Hurricane Melissa Causes Widespread Destruction Across the Caribbean

Hurricane Melissa, which began as a Category 5 storm, has left a path of destruction across the Caribbean, resulting in at least 34 fatalities. The storm made landfall in Jamaica with winds reaching 298 km/h (185 mph), surpassing the strength of Hurricane Katrina in 2005. In Jamaica, the southwestern parish of St Elizabeth experienced severe flooding and infrastructure damage, with towns like Black River becoming isolated due to washed-out bridges. Communication has been severely disrupted, leaving many unable to contact relatives in the hardest-hit areas. In Haiti, the storm caused at least 25 deaths, including 10 children, primarily due to flooding from continuous rainfall. Cuba's President Miguel Díaz-Canel reported "considerable damage" in Santiago de Cuba, the country's second-largest city, where residents are working to clear debris. The storm has since been downgraded to a Category 2 hurricane but is gaining speed as it moves through the Bahamas and is expected to make landfall in Bermuda later. The U.S. National Hurricane Center has warned of potential coastal flooding as the storm accelerates northeastward. Authorities in the Bahamas have lifted hurricane warnings for the central and southern islands, as well as for the Turks and Caicos. However, Minister of State for Disaster Risk Management Leon Lundy urged residents to remain vigilant, stating, "Even a weakened hurricane retains the capacity to bring serious devastation." Nearly 1,500 people were evacuated from vulnerable areas in the Bahamas, marking one of the largest operations in the nation's history. While some areas have been affected by flooding, the Ministry of Tourism reported that the majority of the country, including Nassau, Freeport, Eleuthera, and the Abacos, remain largely unaffected and open to visitors. The U.S. State Department has deployed a regional Disaster Assistance Response Team and activated U.S.-based Urban Search and Rescue teams to support response efforts in the affected regions.