At least 25 people have been confirmed dead five in Jamaica and 20 in Haiti, as Hurricane Melissa continues its catastrophic sweep across the Caribbean, destroying homes, flooding communities, and crippling infrastructure.
The once-category five storm, one of the most powerful ever recorded in the region, has left thousands displaced and several towns in ruins as it moves through the islands with unrelenting force.
The full scale of destruction in Jamaica became clearer on Wednesday after the island was struck head-on by the category five monster.
In the aftermath, residents remain stranded on rooftops and without electricity.
Prime Minister Andrew Holness described the situation as one of “total devastation,” revealing that “80–90% of roofs were destroyed,” along with hospitals, libraries, police stations, ports, and other vital infrastructure.
King Charles, Jamaica’s head of state, expressed his sorrow in a statement, saying he was “deeply concerned” and “profoundly saddened” by the widespread damage in Jamaica and across the Caribbean.
“This most dreadful of record-breaking storms reminds us of the increasingly urgent need to restore the balance and harmony of Nature for the sake of all those whose lives and livelihoods may have been shattered by this heartbreaking disaster,” he said.
From Jamaica, where Melissa also triggered mudslides and toppled palm trees like matchsticks, the storm moved northward to Cuba as a category three hurricane, unleashing 115 mph winds and heavy rainfall on the island’s southeast.
Rovier Mesa Rodríguez, a video maker in Santiago de Cuba, described the storm as “terrifying,” adding that it sounded “like a tornado.”
Cuban President, Miguel Díaz-Canel, urged citizens “not to let their guard down,” commending the nation’s preparedness for a worst-case scenario that helped mitigate the impact.
By Wednesday night, Melissa was about 105 miles (170 km) from the central Bahamas, moving northeast with sustained winds of 100 mph (155 km/h).
Authorities warned of a dangerous storm surge expected to hit the Bahamas overnight before the storm advances toward Bermuda.
Tropical storm warnings were also issued for the Turks and Caicos Islands, with forecasts indicating an increase in speed in the coming days.
In Jamaica, Local Government Minister Desmond McKenzie confirmed that the five victims, three men and a woman, were found after being swept away by floodwaters. About three-quarters of the island lost electricity overnight.
Richard Vernon, mayor of Montego Bay, told the BBC that half of the city had been cut off by flooding, noting that the immediate priority was to “check if everybody is alive.”
In St Elizabeth, a woman sheltering in her four-bedroom home recounted the terrifying moment her roof was ripped off.
Meanwhile, Kingston businessman Gordon Swaby said his cousin’s “dream” home by the sea in the upscale Crane Road area was completely destroyed.
“She wanted a different kind of life,” he told the BBC. “She chose the area because she loves the sea, so this is really devastating.”
Scenes of ruin stretched across central Jamaica, where Mandeville was flattened and roads were strewn with debris, foliage, and fragments of buildings. Cleanup efforts are expected to take months.
Holidaymaker Pia Chevallier described her ordeal during the storm: “I felt sick with worry. The windows didn’t stop vibrating.”
In Haiti, local authorities confirmed that at least 20 people, including 10 children, died as raging rivers caused flash floods and landslides, forcing 3,000 residents into emergency shelters.
“Many homes have been washed away on the coast,” said Pascal Bimenyimana from the Christian NGO World Relief in Port-au-Prince.
He added that “structures also lost their roofing and people were clearing the debris with their bare hands.” The storm also devastated farmlands across southern Haiti.
The United States has deployed a disaster response team to Jamaica to assess post-storm needs, following formal aid requests from Haiti and The Bahamas.
The assistance comes despite the Trump administration’s earlier decision to shutter the United States Agency for International Development amid sweeping cuts to foreign aid.
Though Melissa is not forecast to make landfall in North America, it is expected to evolve into a powerful extratropical cyclone as it nears St. John’s, Newfoundland, in Canada by Friday night.
