The hurricane Melissa, one of the most powerful cyclones recorded in the Atlantic basin, made landfall in the southwest of Jamaica this Tuesday, leaving a scene of destruction and distress among the residents of the Caribbean island.
The images shared by journalists and users on social media, such as CVM TV journalist Giovanni R. Dennis (@GiovanniRDennis) and Karina Alice (@Karina__Alice), show streets completely flooded, vehicles swept away by the current, fallen trees, and roofs torn off by category 5 winds.
In videos recorded from communities such as Clarendon, Santa Cruz, and St. Ann, overflowing rivers can be seen turning avenues into torrents of water and mud.
In Kingston, the capital, Giovanni R. Dennis reported "torrential rains and widespread power outages," as emergency crews tried to reach rural areas isolated by landslides and destroyed roads.
Some videos circulated from hospitals show staff moving patients to safety from the floods.
The Prime Minister Andrew Holness acknowledged that “there is no infrastructure in the region that can withstand a category 5 storm,” and urged the population to follow the guidance of the Office of Disaster Preparedness and Emergency Management (ODPEM), the equivalent of Civil Protection, which has opened dozens of shelters across the island.
So far, authorities have confirmed at least three fatalities in Jamaica, according to the Associated Press (AP), along with severe structural damage, over 240,000 users without electricity, and a quarter of the telecommunications system out of service, complicating rescue and communication efforts.
The humanitarian organization Mercy Corps reported that thousands of families remained sheltered during the event, describing an atmosphere of fear and despair. “The noise was relentless. People were just trying to endure,” recounted Colin Bogle, a resident of Portmore.
The hurricane Melissa continues its movement across the Caribbean with sustained winds exceeding 250 km/h, and its path is headed toward the east of Cuba, where authorities have already activated evacuation and contingency plans in response to the threat of a direct impact.
Cuba remains on high alert, with forecasts suggesting that Melissa could be a potentially historic event for the region.
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