Hurricane Melissa made landfall in Cuba today, unleashing winds of up to 115 miles per hour and torrential rain after tearing through Jamaica as the strongest storm to hit the island in modern history. Melissa has already claimed seven lives across the Caribbean so far, three in Jamaica, three in Haiti, and one in the Dominican Republic – as rescue and relief efforts continue across the region.

 

 

Jamaican Prime Minister Andrew Holness has declared the island a disaster area, warning of devastating impacts following the hurricane’s destruction. According to the U.S. National Hurricane Center (NHC), Melissa – described as an extremely dangerous hurricane – weakened to a Category 3 storm before striking Santiago de Cuba province on the island’s southern coast. Cuban authorities reported that more than seven lakh thirty-five thousand people have been evacuated and a state of alert has been declared across six eastern provinces.

 

 

The storm is currently moving northeast over eastern Cuba. In neighbouring Haiti, officials have ordered the closure of schools, businesses, and government offices as a precaution. The NHC forecasts that Melissa will pass through the central Bahamas before nearing Bermuda late Thursday as a Category 1 hurricane.