Hurricane Melissa makes landfall in Cuba, Jamaica’s airports remain closed

Hurricane Melissa struck eastern Cuba near the city of Chivirico early Wednesday (Oct. 29) as a Category 3 storm, following its devastating impact on Jamaica as one of the most powerful Atlantic hurricanes ever recorded, according to the U.S. National Hurricane Centre (NHC).

Hundreds of thousands of residents in Cuba were moved to shelters ahead of the storm, reports say.

Hurricane warnings remained in place for the provinces of Granma, Santiago de Cuba, Guantanamo, Holguin, and Las Tunas, as well as parts of the southeastern and central Bahamas.

As of early Wednesday, Hurricane Melissa was packing maximum sustained winds of 185 kilometres per hour and moving northeast at a speed of 19 kilometres per hour, the NHC said.

The storm’s centre was located about 32 kilometres east of Chivirico, roughly 97 kilometres west of Guantánamo, Cuba, and approximately 370 kilometres south of the central Bahamas.

Melissa was expected to lose some strength while moving across Cuba during the morning but remain a powerful hurricane as it tracks over the southeastern or central Bahamas later on Wednesday.

By late Thursday (Oct. 30), the storm is forecast to approach or pass just west of Bermuda, where a hurricane watch has been issued.

Jamaica's most destructive storm in history

Yesterday, Jamaica faced its most destructive storm in its history as Melissa, then a Category 5 storm, closed in on the island.

Both residents and tourists hunkered down. As reported, Jamaica hasn’t experienced a direct hurricane strike in more than a decade—and never from a Category 5 system.

The World Meteorological Organization (WMO) is calling it the “storm of the century,” and mandatory evacuations were issued for vulnerable coastal regions.

Significant damage was reported in areas of Clarendon in southern Jamaica and in the southwestern parish of St. Elizabeth, which was “completely flooded,” according to Desmond McKenzie, deputy chairman of Jamaica’s Disaster Risk Management Council.

McKenzie said the storm also damaged four hospitals, leaving one without electricity and forcing the evacuation of 75 patients.

By late Tuesday, more than half a million customers were without power, as officials reported widespread flooding, fallen trees, and downed power lines across much of the island.

A video circulating on social media appears to show the interior of Sangster International Airport in Montego Bay with significant damage — ceiling panels hanging or collapsed, and water pooling across the terminal floor.

The Jamaica government has announced plans to reopen all of Jamaica’s airports as soon as Thursday to help expedite the delivery of emergency aid and supplies. The timeline for the resumption of passenger flights remains uncertain.

Roughly 25,000 tourists were in Jamaica when the hurricane hit, and about 15 per cent—some 3,750 visitors—were from Canada, Angella Bennett, regional director for Canada at the Jamaica Tourist Board (JTB), told PAX during a telephone interview yesterday.

She advised guests currently on the island to follow the protocols of the hotels and the directions of management.

“Hotels are fully equipped to manage hurricane protocols. If clients weren’t able to get off the island, they’re in safe space,” Bennett said.

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