Overview
- Melissa made landfall in Jamaica as a Category 5 hurricane with 185 mph winds, flattening parts of St. Elizabeth parish where officials say up to 90% of roofs in Black River were destroyed.
- Authorities report more than 30 deaths across the region, including at least 25 in Haiti, with Jamaican officials warning their casualty count is likely to increase as access expands.
- More than 25,000 people remain in shelters and roughly 77% of Jamaica is without power, with blocked roads and communications outages complicating assessments and aid delivery.
- Relief flights have resumed to Jamaica as airports reopen, the military clears roads into cut-off areas, and U.S. search-and-rescue teams and other international assistance deploy.
- The storm weakened to a Category 2–1 system as it moved past the Bahamas and is forecast to pass near Bermuda Thursday night, while NGOs, diaspora groups and artists such as Sean Paul mobilize donations and supplies.