Hurricane Melissa, one of the strongest Atlantic hurricanes on record, made landfall in Jamaica as a category 5 storm on Tuesday, battering the island with ferocious winds, heavy flooding and landslides. The storm has since weakened to a category 4 but remains a major threat as it approaches Cuba.
Jamaica's Minister of Local Government, Desmond Mckenzie, said the south-western parish of St Elizabeth is "under water" and that at least three families are trapped in their homes in the community of Black River. Emergency services are struggling to reach them due to dangerous conditions. More than 530,000 people are without electricity and close to 15,000 are in storm shelters.
Prime Minister Andrew Holness declared Jamaica a disaster area, saying the damage is extensive and that the country's infrastructure has been severely compromised. St Elizabeth, known as the breadbasket of Jamaica, has taken a heavy blow. Holness warned that no infrastructure in the region can withstand a category 5 hurricane.
In Cuba, President Miguel Díaz-Canel warned citizens of a "very difficult night" as the storm heads towards Santiago de Cuba. He urged people not to return to their homes from shelters, noting that more than 500,000 have been evacuated. The US National Hurricane Center said Melissa is expected to remain a powerful hurricane as it crosses Cuba, the Bahamas and near Bermuda.
Meteorologist Matthew Cappucci, who flew through the eye of the storm, described the experience as "scientifically stunning and horrifying from a humanitarian standpoint", predicting that millions could wake to devastation. The storm is the most intense to hit Jamaica since records began in 1851 and is expected to linger over the island for hours before turning north-east.
