Overview
- Jamaica reports catastrophic damage with widespread power cuts, blocked roads and several hospitals impaired, especially in hard‑hit Saint Elizabeth and Black River.
- Cuba confirms landfall near Guamá as a Category 3 hurricane and reports considerable material damage, with authorities citing large preventive evacuations of more than 735,000 people.
- Local Cuban media report communications outages in 241 districts and nearly 3.5 million without electricity, figures still being verified by officials.
- Heavy rains linked to Melissa triggered deadly flooding in Haiti, with local authorities reporting at least 25 deaths in Petit‑Goâve as regional tolls continue to be assessed.
- Meteorologists say Melissa peaked near Category 5 intensity before Jamaica, has weakened to Category 2, and is transitioning to a non‑tropical system that could influence European weather next week.