Deadly Hurricane Melissa Batters Bahamas After Caribbean Destruction

On October 29, 2025, Hurricane Melissa bore down on the Bahamas after cutting a destructive path through the Caribbean. The storm has left at least 30 people dead or missing in Haiti, Jamaica, and Cuba, and caused extensive damage across the region.

In Cuba, residents have started assessing their losses, with President Miguel Diaz-Canel describing the damage as "extensive." Some 735,000 people were evacuated, mainly in the eastern provinces of Santiago de Cuba, Holguin, and Guantanamo, as the storm smashed windows, downed power cables and mobile communications, and ripped off roofs and tree branches.

Jamaica has declared a "disaster area" after Melissa battered the island as a ferocious top-level storm, with sustained winds peaking at 295 kilometers per hour. Many homes were destroyed, and about 25,000 people sought refuge in shelters. The country's infrastructure, property, roads, and network connectivity have suffered "tremendous, unprecedented devastation," according to UN resident coordinator Dennis Zulu.

As the Bahamas braces for Melissa's impact, Bermuda is also preparing for the storm's arrival. The US National Hurricane Center has warned residents in both locations to remain sheltered and complete preparations before the anticipated first occurrence of tropical-storm-force winds.

The full extent of Melissa's damage is not yet clear, with communications networks disrupted across the region. However, it is clear that this hurricane, fueled by the effects of climate change, has brought massive human and economic costs to the Caribbean.