Hurricane Melissa has unleashed widespread destruction across the Caribbean, leaving a trail of devastation in its wake. The storm, which initially struck Jamaica as a historic Category 5 hurricane, later made landfall in Cuba as a Category 3 before advancing towards the Bahamas as a Category 2 with maximum sustained winds of 100 mph. The hurricane has caused fatalities, severe flooding, and extensive damage to homes, hospitals, and schools in its path. Jamaican Prime Minister Andrew Holness declared the island a ‘disaster zone’ on Tuesday, with power outages and flooding reported across both Jamaica and Cuba. The ‘All Clear’ was announced on October 29, allowing essential services to resume. In Haiti, the death toll rose to at least 25 after a river swollen by the hurricane burst its banks in Petit-Goâve. While Jamaica has not yet released an official death toll, three fatalities occurred during storm preparations. One death has also been reported in the Dominican Republic. Meteorologists warn that Melissa’s strongest winds are expanding, posing an increased threat to the Bahamas, where warnings remain in effect as the storm is forecast to pass between Long Island and Crooked Island later today.
