Overview
- Melissa made landfall near Chivirico, Cuba, early Wednesday as a Category 3 with 115–120 mph winds and is forecast to cross eastern Cuba, reach the Bahamas later today and pass near Bermuda late Thursday.
- Cuban authorities moved over 700,000 people to shelters or higher ground, and hurricane warnings cover eastern provinces as officials brace for significant damage and prolonged outages.
- Jamaica reports severe infrastructure damage after Tuesday’s 185 mph landfall, with more than 500,000 customers without power, four hospitals damaged and 75 patients evacuated as St. Elizabeth parish was inundated.
- At least seven deaths have been reported across the region, including three in Jamaica, three in Haiti and one in the Dominican Republic, according to officials and local reports.
- The National Hurricane Center warns of storm surge up to 12 feet and 10–20 inches of rain in parts of eastern Cuba, while the Bahamas orders evacuations and the UN readies relief airlifts as Jamaica targets reopening airports by Thursday.