Hurricane Melissa Leaves Trail of Destruction Across the Caribbean

Hurricane Melissa has left a path of devastation across the Caribbean after striking Jamaica and Cuba and is now heading towards the Bahamas as a category 2 with maximum sustained winds of 100 mph.

Melissa left behind fatalities, damaged homes, hospitals, and schools. It made landfall on Cuba as a category 3 early Wednesday morning after battering Jamaica as a historic category 5.

Jamaican Prime Minister Andrew Holness declared the island a “disaster zone” on Tuesday. Severe flooding and power outages have been reported across both Cuba and Jamaica. He announced the ‘All Clear’ on October 29, at approximately 10:30 a.m. an encouraged essential services to reopen.

According to Cuba’s authorities, the storm caused “significant damage” as rivers overflowed and thousands were cut off by rising waters.

CNN meteorologist Mary Gilbert reported that Melissa’s strongest winds “are starting to reach farther out” from its centre. This expansion increases the threat of stronger gusts across the Bahamas.

The death toll in Haiti has risen to at least 25 after a river swollen by Hurricane Melissa burst its banks in the Petit-Goâve area.

In Jamaica, the government says it is “not in a position to make an official statement on deaths” during the storm’s passage. However, three people died during preparations before Melissa made landfall.

One death has also been reported in the Dominican Republic.

Melissa is forecast to pass between Long Island and Crooked Island in the Bahamas later today as warnings remain in effect.