Hurricane Melissa

Weaker Melissa moves into Cuba: “Extremely dangerous”

Hurricane Melissa has moved into Cuba after passing Jamaica overnight, Swedish time.

According to meteorologists, the wind speed is currently over 190 kilometers per hour. The storm is believed to be able to raise the water level on the Cuban coast by at least two meters, while half a meter of rain is expected. Almost 800,000 people are reported to have been evacuated.

According to the BBC, Cuba is also in a “complex economic and humanitarian crisis”, which may further complicate the situation.

On Tuesday, Melissa was assessed as a category five hurricane, the highest and most dangerous level. On Wednesday, the assessment was lowered to category four. However, the US Hurricane Center warns that the storm is still “extremely dangerous”. 

Worries as hurricane approaches: “What if the roof blows off”

Thousands of Jamaicans spent Tuesday in temporary shelters or barricaded themselves in their homes as Hurricane Melissa swept across the country.

“When you hear the wind and the rain outside, it’s very unnerving. You think to yourself, ‘What would I do if I heard a bang and the roof blew off?’” Colin Bogle, who took shelter in his home in Kingston, told the Financial Times.

Climate scientist and Kingston resident Carol Archer told WPLG that there is great concern, among other things, that crops and the tourism industry will have a hard time recovering from last night’s storm.

“I’ve never experienced winds like that,” she says.

“Jamaica has gone through one of its worst experiences”

“Jamaica has gone through what I would describe as one of its worst experiences ever,” Desmond McKenzie, the country’s minister for local government, told NBC News.

Hurricane Melissa, which hit the island nation on Tuesday night, has caused extensive damage to infrastructure. As of Tuesday morning, 77 percent of the country is without power, and according to McKenzie, authorities are working intensively to restore hospitals and water pumps. Many roads are also said to have been destroyed.

There were no confirmed reports of deaths from the storm in Jamaica as of Wednesday morning. Melissa is expected to move further into Cuba on Tuesday.