Frontier Correspondent
Kingston, Jamaica.
Hurricane Melissa slammed into southwestern Jamaica near New Hope around 1 p.m. Tuesday, unleashing 185 mph winds and a record-low central pressure of 892 millibars.
The Category 5 storm, the strongest ever to make landfall in Jamaica since records began in 1851, brought catastrophic destruction across the island.
The slow-moving system, crawling northward at just 5 to 8 mph, pounded Jamaica with torrential rain, landslides, and widespread structural collapse. Meteorologists warned of “total structural failure” within the storm’s core path as entire communities were battered for hours.
Prime Minister Andrew Holness called the event “one of our longest days ever,” adding that “no infrastructure in the region can withstand a Category 5.”
Early reports from St. Catherine Parish on the southeastern coast described uprooted trees, flattened fences, and roofs torn from homes.
The storm carved a destructive diagonal swath from southwest to northeast, leaving extensive damage in its wake. More than 240,000 homes lost power before landfall, and a quarter of Jamaica’s telecom network went offline, crippling communication and emergency coordination.
The U.S. National Hurricane Center (NHC) ranked Melissa among the most intense Atlantic hurricanes ever recorded—tying the 1935 Labor Day Hurricane for third place in pressure-based strength. The storm maintained Category 5 intensity for nearly 34 hours before striking Jamaica, fueled by abnormally warm Caribbean waters this late in the hurricane season.
At least seven deaths have been reported across the northern Caribbean, including three in Jamaica, three in Haiti, and one in the Dominican Republic, mostly due to flash flooding and landslides ahead of landfall.
All major airports, including Norman Manley International near Kingston, were shut down before the storm hit, grounding flights and stranding travelers.
Authorities urged residents to evacuate or seek sturdy shelter. The U.S. State Department advised American citizens to leave “as soon as possible or prepare to shelter in place.”
Amid the blackout, some Jamaicans managed to stay connected through Starlink satellite service, providing rare live updates even as mobile networks and Wi-Fi systems failed.
By late afternoon, Melissa had moved offshore into the Caribbean Sea, slightly weakening to a Category 4 hurricane with 145 mph sustained winds. However, its slow pace prolonged the onslaught. Meteorologists expect 8 to 16 inches (200–400 mm) of rainfall island-wide, with up to 40 inches (1,000 mm) possible in isolated areas—amounts typically seen over several months.
Blocked roads, collapsed bridges, and submerged towns have severely hampered damage assessment and rescue operations. Deputy Disaster Risk Management Council Chair Desmond McKenzie pleaded with residents: “This is not the time to be brave—seek shelter and stay indoors.”
Water and Environment Minister Matthew Samuda said over 50 emergency generators were being deployed and urged citizens to conserve clean water. International relief groups, including the Global Empowerment Mission, are mobilizing aid shipments from Florida.
As of Tuesday evening, Melissa was barreling toward eastern Cuba, where forecasters expect a second landfall west of Guantánamo Bay before tracking toward the southeastern and central Bahamas as a Category 2 storm later this week. Hurricane warnings are in effect across the region, including the Turks and Caicos Islands under tropical storm alerts.
Meteorologists warn that Melissa’s record-breaking fury underscores the growing threat of extreme hurricanes in a warming climate. Jamaica now faces a long and grueling recovery that could take months—or even years.