Hurricane Melissa made landfall in southwestern Jamaica on Tuesday afternoon as a powerful Category 5 storm, unleashing catastrophic winds, torrential rain, and storm surges that devastated homes, schools, and hospitals across the island.
Videos from across Jamaica show scenes of destruction, flooded streets, collapsed buildings, and hospital roofs torn apart as the storm’s powerful winds tore through both coastal and inland communities.
Prime Minister Andrew Holness described the scale of damage as “significant,” telling CNN’s Anderson Cooper that early reports indicated widespread destruction to public infrastructure and private property.
“Reports that we have had so far would include damage to hospitals, significant damage to residential property, housing and commercial property as well,” Holness said.
St. Elizabeth Among Worst-Hit Areas
The parish of St. Elizabeth has emerged as one of the worst-affected regions, with extensive flooding and severe structural damage reported across several neighbourhoods.
“There is extensive, extensive damage in the southwestern areas, in St. Elizabeth, major damage in St. Elizabeth, a lot of flooding, extensive wind damage to schools, hospitals out there, homes,” said Richard Thompson, Director General of the Office of Disaster Preparedness and Emergency Management (ODPEM).
Among the damaged facilities is the Black River Hospital, the parish’s primary medical centre.
Video shows major flooding along Santa Cruz Bypass in St. Elizabeth, Jamaica from Hurricane Melissa. pic.twitter.com/0h6gMOeWCQ
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“We have confirmed coming into our operation center impact to the Black River Hospital,” Thompson told CNN. “We are really expecting extensive damage to that hospital.”
Death Toll Rises To Seven Across The Caribbean
Tourism Minister Edmund Bartlett confirmed that no deaths have been directly linked to Melissa’s landfall in Jamaica so far. However, the storm has been blamed for seven fatalities in total – three in Jamaica during storm preparations, three in Haiti, and one in the Dominican Republic.
Storm Weakens But Remains Dangerous
According to the latest update from the U.S. National Hurricane Center (NHC), Melissa has weakened to a Category 3 hurricane with sustained winds of 125 mph (200 km/h). The system is now moving away from Jamaica toward eastern Cuba.
Video shows the aftermath of Category 5 Hurricane Melissa in Black River, Jamaica. pic.twitter.com/ZfqClSX4Yx
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As of Tuesday night, Melissa was located approximately 160 miles southwest of Guantánamo, Cuba, moving north-northeast at 8 mph.
Heavy Rainfall And Flood Risk In Cuba
The NHC forecasts that Melissa will remain a major hurricane — Category 3 or higher — as it tracks across Cuba and the Bahamas. Eastern Cuba is expected to receive 10 to 20 inches of rainfall, with up to 25 inches possible in mountainous areas, posing a significant threat of flash flooding and landslides.
