Hurricane Melissa devastated Jamaica on Tuesday, October 28, as the historic storm hit the island’s western coast.
Melissa, the first Category 5 hurricane to hit Jamaica, made landfall near New Hope on Tuesday afternoon, with maximum sustained winds of 185 mph. Kingston, Jamaica’s capital, was spared the worst of the storm’s impact, but areas on the western side of the island suffered “total devastation,” according to Daryl Vaz, Jamaica’s Minister of Energy, Transport and Telecommunications.
Western Jamaica is now experiencing a complete communications blackout. With widespread power outages and phone and internet lines down, officials cannot yet fully assess the damage. Early reports, however, show intense flooding with cars and houses completely submerged. “Residents and tourists may be stranded for quite some time in the hardest-hit areas,” Alex DaSilva, AccuWeather’s chief hurricane expert, said in an emailed statement.
The storm weakened to a Category 3 hurricane as it made landfall in Cuba on Wednesday, reaching maximum sustained winds near 120 mph, according to AccuWeather. Storm surges in Cuba could reach 10 to 15 feet, and the island would receive 2 to 3 feet of rain. “With so much rain, life-threatening flooding and mudslides can occur within minutes, especially near steep terrain,” DaSilva said.
The storm is forecast to weaken to a Category 2 hurricane as it approaches the Bahamas, “but will remain a destructive storm in its wake,” according to DaSilva. The Bahamian islands closest to the eye of the storm could see wind gusts of up to 120 mph.
Current projections of the hurricane’s track show it will continue toward Bermuda, where tropical storm-force winds could reach 60 to 80 mph on Thursday or Friday, before possibly affecting Canada’s Atlantic coast later in the week. Here’s what travelers need to know about the storm’s impact, including how to help those affected by the hurricane.
This is breaking news. Will update with more information as it becomes available.
Airport closures and flight exemptions
Jamaica’s airports were closed when the storm made landfall on Tuesday, and experts say they are not likely to reopen anytime soon.
The island’s airports, along with other key facilities such as water treatment plants, power plants, seaports and more, “are at risk of extensive damage or destruction in the most affected areas,” Jonathan Porter, AccuWeather’s chief meteorologist, said in an emailed statement. “Especially in areas where the core of the destructive winds travel, from south to north across the island, some communities may be unrecognizable given the level of catastrophic damage.”
