Hurricane Melissa kills several people in Jamaica and Haiti with worst to return | News World

At the least three people have been killed in Jamaica and more elsewhere within the Caribbean in the course of the strongest storm on the planet in 2025.

For days, people have been bracing for the arrival of Hurricane Melissa – a Category 5 storm – and the catastrophic damage it is ready to cause. However the worst is yet to return.

It was expected to make landfall early today, slicing diagonally across the island and entering near St Elizabeth parish within the south before eventually exiting around St Ann parish within the north, forecasters said.

Hours before, the federal government said it had done all in its power to guard people.

Prime minister Andrew Holness warned: ‘There isn’t a infrastructure within the region that may withstand a Category 5.

‘The query now could be the speed of recovery. That’s the challenge.’

After sustaining wind speeds of as much as 175mph, Melissa has officially been declared the world’s strongest storm this yr – and the worst Jamaica has ever experienced since recordkeeping began 174 years ago.

Parts of the country are set to be pummeled by rainfall of as much as 40 inches – and a ‘life-threatening storm surge’, the US National Hurricane Centre warned.

Landslides, fallen trees and diverse power outages were reported ahead of the storm, already cutting off vulnerable communities.

A life-threatening storm surge of as much as 13 feet can also be expected to hit the south.

Mandatory evacuation orders have been issued for some coastal areas of Jamaica, while some patients in hospitals have been relocated from the bottom floor to the second floor.

Evan Thompson, principal director at Jamaica’s meteorological service, said: ‘We are going to get through it together.’

Colin Bogle, a Mercy Corps advisor based near Kingston, confirmed that almost all families are sheltering in place despite the federal government ordering evacuations in flood-prone communities.

He said: ‘Many have never experienced anything like this before, and the uncertainty is frightening.

‘There may be profound fear of losing homes and livelihoods, of injury, and of displacement.’

Matthew Samuda, Jamaica’s water and environment minister, said he had greater than 50 generators available to deploy after the storm, but warned people to put aside clean water and use it sparingly.

‘Every drop will count,’ he said.

Melissa is already was blamed for seven deaths within the Caribbean, including three in Jamaica, three in Haiti and one within the Dominican Republic, where one other person stays missing.

It’s also was expected to make landfall in eastern Cuba later today as a strong hurricane.

A hurricane warning was in effect for Granma, Santiago de Cuba, Guantánamo and Holguin provinces, while a tropical storm warning was in effect for Las Tunas.

As much as 20 inches of rain were forecast for parts of the country, together with a big storm surge along the coast.

Cuban officials said Monday that they were evacuating greater than 600,000 people from the region, including Santiago, the island’s second-largest city.

Get in contact with our news team by emailing us at webnews@metro.co.uk.

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