From Jamaica to Haiti, Hurricane Melissa leaves a trail of destruction; Bahamas braces for storm | Key updates

Hurricane genus melissa is racing nor'-east toward the bahama islands after tearing through and through Jamaica and eastern republic of cuba, leaving devastation in its wake.

Ferocious winds ripped roofs from homes and buildings, reducing some structures to their frames.

Flooded city streets and airports have brought aid operations to a standstill, stranding roughly 25,000 tourists in Jamaica.

Local officials told media that commercial flights may not resume until the weekend, though planes carrying emergency supplies could be cleared to land as soon as Thursday.

As of 11 a.m. New York time, Melissa was sustaining winds of 100 miles (161 kilometers) per hour, according to the US National Hurricane Center.

The storm is expected to reach the Bahamas by Wednesday afternoon, bringing destructive winds capable of toppling trees and power lines across the islands.

“The impact across the Bahamas may be overshadowed to some extent by what’s happened so far, but it’s going to be fairly significant,” said Adam Douty, senior forecaster at AccuWeather.

Melissa made landfall in Cuba around 3 a.m. New York time as a Category 3 storm on the five-tier Saffir-Simpson scale, weakening to Category 2 as it crossed the island’s rugged terrain.

Torrential rainfall triggered landslides and severe flooding in Santiago de Cuba, the country’s second-largest city, according to state newspaper Granma.

The Charco Mono Dam, which supplies water to the city, overflowed, prompting rescue operations for residents trapped by floodwaters.

On Tuesday, Melissa became the strongest storm ever recorded to strike Jamaica. Officials described scenes of overwhelming destruction, widespread blackouts affecting nearly 80% of the country, submerged roads, and hospitals left in ruins.

“Our shelters have seen more than 25,000 Jamaicans and since last night more persons have been going into the shelters,” said Desmond McKenzie, minister of local government and rural development, during a Wednesday morning briefing. “It’s not going to be an easy road, Jamaica.”

In Montego Bay, the island’s major resort hub, buildings were stripped of their roofs and streets were heavily inundated. At Sangster International Airport, the nation’s largest, at least one terminal was partially flooded.

Property intelligence firm Cotality estimates Jamaica’s damages will range between $5 billion and $10 billion. Insurance coverage varies widely across sectors, noted Firas Saleh, director of insurance solutions at Moody’s.

While many hotels are well-covered, most small businesses are not — and fewer than 10% of Jamaican single-family homes carry insurance.

“These gaps leave many households and businesses vulnerable to severe financial and social disruption from Hurricane Melissa,” Saleh said.

Despite the hurricane’s strength, the weather forecaster said Jamaica narrowly avoided an “absolute worst-case scenario” by dodging a direct hit on its capital, Kingston.

As relief efforts ramp up, Jamaica’s Office of Disaster Preparedness and Emergency Management has issued an urgent call for aid, including 100,000 mattresses and pillows for shelters and more than 5,000 chainsaws to help clear debris.

The US State Department said in an X post Wednesday that search-and-rescue teams and regional disaster specialists are being deployed to assist with coordination across the Caribbean.

The UK, which had pre-positioned a Royal Navy ship and rapid deployment teams ahead of Melissa’s landfall, stands ready to offer full support.

“The scenes of destruction emerging from Jamaica are truly shocking,” British Prime Minister Keir Starmer told the House of Commons on Wednesday.

Bermuda’s meteorological service has issued a hurricane warning, with Melissa expected to pass west of the island on Thursday. The US National Hurricane Center predicts the storm will weaken into an extra-tropical cyclone by late Friday or early Saturday.

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