Overview
- U.S. National Hurricane Center reports Melissa has markedly weakened to Category 1 and is tracking toward the Bahamas.
- Regional authorities and media report more than 30 fatalities across the Caribbean, with at least 25 in Haiti; Jamaica’s government confirmed three deaths and local media later reported four in St. Elizabeth.
- Melissa made landfall in Cuba’s Santiago de Cuba province with winds near 195 km/h, and President Miguel Díaz‑Canel said the storm caused large-scale destruction after more than 735,000 people were evacuated.
- Jamaica sustained extensive flooding and infrastructure damage, with hundreds of thousands losing power, internet connectivity dropping to about 42% per NetBlocks, and more than 25,000 people sheltering as Montego Bay facilities were hit.
- Transport and communications remain disrupted, with Jamaican airspace closures extended even as Cayman Islands airports resumed flights, and meteorological agencies noted Melissa’s rare intensity, including WMO’s “storm of the century” label and analyses calling it the most powerful landfall in roughly 90 years.