Overview
- The National Hurricane Center said Melissa reached Cuba as a Category 3 hurricane near Chivirico with 120 mph winds, with life‑threatening storm surge up to 12 feet and up to 20 inches of rain likely to trigger landslides.
- Cuban authorities evacuated hundreds of thousands of residents, with reported figures ranging from about 500,000 to more than 700,000, and schools were suspended across multiple eastern provinces.
- Jamaica absorbed a Category 5 landfall near New Hope with 185 mph winds, leaving St. Elizabeth "underwater," damaging four hospitals, forcing the evacuation of 75 patients, and cutting power to over half a million customers as connectivity collapsed.
- At least seven deaths have been reported across the Caribbean, including three in Jamaica, three in Haiti, and one in the Dominican Republic, as officials warn assessments will take days.
- Hurricane warnings cover eastern Cuba and parts of the Bahamas, a watch is posted for Bermuda, and Jamaica aims to reopen airports as early as Thursday to speed relief while thousands of tourists remain stranded.