KINGSTON, Jamaica , 29 October (H.S.): On Tuesday, the island nation of Jamaica was subjected to the unprecedented power of Hurricane Melissa, a catastrophic Category 5 storm that made landfall with devastating 185 mph winds, leaving a trail of destruction and becoming one of the strongest Atlantic hurricanes ever recorded.
The hurricane unleashed its fury near New Hope in southwestern Jamaica, bringing with it calamitous flooding, landslides, and widespread power outages that affected approximately 540,000 customers .
Prime Minister Andrew Holness stated that no infrastructure in the region could withstand a storm of such magnitude, shifting the nation’s focus to the immense challenge of recovery. The southwestern parish of St. Elizabeth was reported to be completely underwater, with emergency crews struggling to reach stranded residents due to the perilous conditions.
Meteorological experts have highlighted the storm’s record-tying intensity. Its 185 mph wind speeds at landfall match those of the 1935 Labor Day hurricane and 2019’s Hurricane Dorian. The system’s slow movement over unusually warm Caribbean waters allowed it to intensify rapidly, bringing torrential rainfall expected to exceed 27 inches—an amount double the average for an entire rainy season.
The World Meteorological Organization dubbed Melissa the storm of the century for Jamaica.The human impact has been immense, with nearly 15,000 people taking refuge in shelters and an estimated 25,000 tourists stranded on the island.
Reports emerged of roofs being torn from buildings and families trapped by rising floodwaters. In a particularly harrowing incident, a radio station coordinated to provide remote medical advice for a woman who went into labor as the storm raged.As Melissa moved off the coast and weakened slightly, it began a path toward eastern Cuba, where authorities initiated large-scale evacuations in anticipation of its arrival as a major hurricane.
International aid has been offered from the United Nations, the United States, and other nations to support Jamaica’s recovery efforts. Officials are now grappling with the monumental task of clearing debris, restoring power, and distributing emergency supplies to the hard-hit population.
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Hindusthan Samachar / Jun Sarkar
