Deadly Hurricane Melissa Wreaks Havoc Across Caribbean

On 2025-10-30T18:23:03+00:00, Hurricane Melissa, a powerful category 5 storm, has left a devastating impact across the Caribbean. The hurricane, which reached peak winds of 298 km/h (185 mph), has claimed at least 34 lives in Jamaica, Haiti, and Cuba.

The storm, which was stronger than Hurricane Katrina, which devastated New Orleans in 2005, has caused widespread destruction across the affected islands. Homes and buildings have been torn apart, trees have been uprooted, and tens of thousands of people have been left without power.

In the Bahamas, authorities have lifted hurricane warnings, but the country's Minister of State for Disaster Risk Management, Leon Lundy, has urged residents to remain vigilant, as even a weakened hurricane can still bring serious devastation. Nearly 1,500 people were evacuated from vulnerable areas in what officials described as one of the largest operations in Bahamian history.

The impact of Hurricane Melissa has been particularly severe in Jamaica, where the southwestern parish of St. Elizabeth has been cut off due to knee-deep mud and washed-out bridges. The town of Mandeville has been "flattened," according to reports, with a petrol station losing its roof and most of its pumps.

In Haiti, which was already mired in gang violence and a humanitarian crisis, the storm has claimed at least 25 lives, 10 of them children, largely due to flooding. The Dominican Republic has also reported one death related to the hurricane.

As the storm continues to move north-eastward, the US National Hurricane Centre has warned of possible coastal flooding. The situation remains hazardous in Cuba, Jamaica, and Hispaniola, and it is expected to take some time for the floodwaters to subside.