Hurricane Melissa caused widespread devastation and loss of life across the Caribbean as it swept through the region, ranking among the most powerful Atlantic storms in more than a century and a half.
Heavy rainfall and violent winds brought massive destruction along the storm’s path through Jamaica, Cuba, and the Bahamas. At least 30 people have been confirmed dead, though the true scale of the disaster may take several days or even weeks to determine.
As the hurricane moved towards Bermuda early on Thursday, emergency officials in the affected nations began recovery efforts, clearing debris and reopening roads to reach remote communities in desperate need of assistance.
Jamaican Prime Minister Andrew Holness visited some of the hardest-hit regions of the island on Wednesday to assess the extensive damage caused by the storm’s strong winds and severe flooding.
“Despite the difficulties, the Jamaican spirit shines through as a strong reminder that we are a resilient nation with the capacity to triumph over adversity,” he posted on social media.
In the Caribbean, warmer-than-usual sea temperatures, combined with minimal atmospheric wind disruption, created ideal conditions for Hurricane Melissa to strengthen rapidly.
Melissa intensified at an extraordinary pace, escalating from a 70 mph tropical storm on Saturday morning to a 140 mph Category 4 hurricane by Sunday morning.
By Tuesday, Melissa had developed into a high-end Category 5 hurricane, with maximum sustained winds reaching 185 mph—tying it with four other hurricanes as the second-strongest storm ever recorded in the Atlantic since records began in 1851.
As it approached Jamaica and struck the coastline on Tuesday as a Category 5 storm, the World Meteorological Organization (WMO) warned that the impact would be “catastrophic.”
“For Jamaica, it will be the storm of the century for sure,” said WMO tropical cyclone specialist Anne-Claire Fontan.
Between Tuesday night and Wednesday morning, the hurricane crossed into eastern Cuba, still a powerful Category 3 storm when it made landfall in the province of Santiago de Cuba.
By the time it reached the Bahamas on Wednesday, Hurricane Melissa had weakened to a Category 1, but its vast wind field continued to cause torrential rainfall, destructive winds, and dangerous coastal storm surges.
More than 735,000 people were evacuated in Cuba ahead of the hurricane, according to President Miguel Díaz-Canel. In the Bahamas, preliminary figures showed that 1,485 residents were moved to safety before all flights were suspended due to the storm.
Evacuation orders were also issued for six islands in the Bahamas.
Other countries, including the Dominican Republic and Haiti, also suffered severe damage and loss from Melissa’s passage.
Across the Caribbean, authorities described the widespread devastation left in the storm’s wake.
“The conditions here are devastating. ‘Catastrophic’ is a mild term based on what we are observing here,” said Richard Solomon, mayor of the southwestern Jamaican city of Black River, where Hurricane Melissa made landfall, in a video shared by the Jamaica Constabulary Force.
The government reported that around 140,000 people were cut off as the hurricane battered the island.
A media team witnessed residents and soldiers pushing more than a dozen ambulances through storm debris in the town of Santa Cruz as they made their way to coastal areas in western Jamaica, which had been heavily affected.
Authorities in Jamaica recovered at least four bodies in St. Elizabeth Parish, one of the worst-hit areas, according to a government source. The Jamaica Constabulary Force confirmed an additional eight deaths on Thursday in the parishes of Westmoreland, Hanover, and St. James.
Three others died while preparing for the storm.
Holness declared Jamaica a disaster area on Tuesday to prevent price exploitation.
“We must… continue to proactively maintain stability, protect consumers, and prevent any exploitation at a time when citizens are securing food, water, and supplies,” Holness stated.
Approximately 77% of the island was left without power after Melissa passed through, according to a government spokesperson. The nation’s infrastructure suffered heavy damage and is now “severely compromised,” said Desmond McKenzie, Jamaica’s Minister of Local Government and Community Development.
About 25,000 tourists remained stranded in Jamaica following the hurricane, Minister of Education, Skills, Youth, and Information Dana Morris Dixon said in a statement.
In Haiti, which was already struggling before the disaster, 23 people died and 13 others were reported missing, according to the country’s Civil Protection Agency on Wednesday. Twenty of those deaths — including 10 children — occurred when a river in Petit-Goâve overflowed its banks, revising an earlier death toll of 25 reported by the town’s mayor.
Steven Guadard, a resident of Petit-Goâve, told the Associated Press that the storm claimed the lives of his entire family.
“I had four children at home: a 1-month-old baby, a 7-year-old, an 8-year-old and another who was about to turn 4,” he said.
Cuban President Miguel Díaz-Canel said Hurricane Melissa had caused “significant” damage across the island.
“It has been a highly complex night, with significant damage reported,” Díaz-Canel wrote on X. “I urge our people to remain vigilant, to uphold discipline, and to continue taking all necessary precautions.”
Several international initiatives have already begun to assist recovery efforts.
The United Kingdom announced on Wednesday that it was allocating £2.5 million ($3.3 million) in emergency humanitarian aid.
China’s ambassador to Cuba shared a video on social media showing hundreds of boxes marked “family kit” being moved from a warehouse for distribution.
US President Donald Trump on Wednesday authorised “an immediate US response” to support affected communities across the Caribbean, according to a statement released by the State Department.
Within hours, Secretary of State Marco Rubio “deployed a regional Disaster Assistance Response Team, including urban search-and-rescue teams, to assess needs and provide search and recovery assistance,” the statement read.
“The State Department is collaborating with UN agencies, NGOs, and host governments to deliver food, water, medical supplies, hygiene kits, temporary shelter, and search and rescue support.”
The Jamaican government has also launched an official website for relief and recovery, allowing users to track flooding, road blockages, and available shelters.