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KINGSTON, Jamaica — The Caribbean island of Jamaica endured catastrophic devastation as Hurricane Melissa, a Category 5 storm, made landfall on Tuesday. With relentless winds and torrential rains, the hurricane has been declared the most powerful storm ever to strike the nation. The aftermath has left four fatalities, obliterated homes, crippled critical infrastructure, and severed road networks, plunging the country into a daunting recovery process. Satellite images captured by Vantor starkly illustrate the scale of destruction in key communities such as Black River, New Hope, White House, and Montego Bay. These before-and-after visuals reveal entire neighborhoods reduced to rubble, once-thriving areas now unrecognizable. The Jamaican government and international aid organizations are mobilizing emergency response efforts, but the road to recovery is expected to be long and arduous. Hurricane Melissa’s unprecedented intensity has raised concerns about the increasing frequency and severity of extreme weather events in the region, underscoring the urgent need for climate resilience strategies.

In a continuation of its aggressive anti-drug operations, the US military launched a strike on Wednesday targeting a vessel in the eastern Pacific, resulting in the deaths of four individuals. Pentagon spokesperson Pete Hegseth confirmed the operation, stating that the boat was suspected of involvement in drug trafficking. The strike took place in international waters, marking another escalation in President Donald Trump’s contentious campaign against narcotics smuggling, which has now claimed at least 62 lives in recent weeks. A video shared by Hegseth on social media depicted the stationary boat engulfed in flames following a massive explosion. However, critical details of the vessel were obscured, making it impossible to ascertain the exact number of people on board. Hegseth asserted that intelligence reports identified the boat as part of a known drug trafficking route and carrying illicit narcotics. Despite these claims, the US government has not publicly disclosed concrete evidence to substantiate its allegations against the targeted vessels. This latest strike follows a series of attacks two days prior, which resulted in the deaths of 14 people across four boats in the same region. The US had requested Mexico’s assistance in rescuing a survivor from those strikes, but Mexican President Claudia Sheinbaum confirmed on Wednesday that search efforts were unsuccessful.

In a significant development, Venezuelan President Nicolas Maduro announced on Wednesday that his country had intercepted three aircraft allegedly involved in drug trafficking. The operations coincided with a US military deployment targeting narco groups in the Caribbean. Maduro detailed the incidents during an official event, stating that one plane was detected entering through the Caribbean, while two others approached from the north. He emphasized that Venezuela acted in accordance with its interception laws, though it remains unclear whether the planes were shot down. Maduro framed the actions as a demonstration of sovereignty, asserting, “to make them respect Venezuela.” This move comes as Caracas seeks to highlight its anti-drug efforts amidst a large-scale US military presence in the region. Earlier on Wednesday, Venezuela’s armed forces reported destroying two Colombian narcotrafficking camps on its territory, seizing ammunition, vehicles, tactical gear, and fuel. The US describes its deployment as an anti-drug operation, but Venezuela views it as a potential pretext for military intervention aimed at ousting Maduro. The Trump administration has labeled Maduro a drug lord, offering a $50 million reward for information leading to his capture—a claim Maduro vehemently denies. He maintains that Venezuela is not a drug cultivation hub but is instead used as a trafficking route for Colombian cocaine. Recent US strikes on alleged drug-smuggling boats in international waters have resulted in at least 57 deaths, raising concerns about extrajudicial killings. Meanwhile, General Domingo Hernandez Larez, head of Venezuela’s armed forces strategic command, revealed that pamphlets from the Colombian ELN guerrilla group were found during the camp raids. The ELN, a prominent insurgency group, controls territory near the Venezuelan border, which experts identify as a key source of coca and a gateway for cocaine trafficking to the Caribbean and beyond.

Hurricane Melissa has etched its name in meteorological history by matching the intensity of the 1935 Labor Day Hurricane, the most powerful storm ever to make landfall. According to an analysis of data from the US National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA), Melissa struck Jamaica on Tuesday with wind speeds nearing 300 kilometers per hour (185 mph) and an atmospheric pressure of 892 millibars, equalling the record set nearly a century ago. The Labor Day Hurricane devastated the Florida Keys in 1935 with similar ferocity, leaving a lasting mark on hurricane records. Melissa’s arrival underscores the growing intensity of tropical storms, a trend scientists attribute to climate change. While other storms, such as Typhoon Goni (2020) and Hurricane Patricia (2015), have recorded stronger winds or lower pressures, none have matched Melissa’s intensity at the moment of landfall. Melissa, the fifth Category 5 storm of 2025, surpassed Typhoon Ragasa, which struck East Asia earlier in the year, in both wind speed and pressure. After battering Jamaica, Melissa was downgraded to Category 3 as it moved toward Cuba. This event highlights the increasing frequency and severity of extreme weather events globally, driven by rising global temperatures.