Hurricane Melissa made landfall in eastern Cuba early Wednesday as a Category 3 storm after pummeling Jamaica as a Category 5 hurricane.
Widespread damage in Jamaica has been reported as Melissa slammed ashore near the town of New Hope, destroying homes and businesses. Evan Thompson, Principal Director at Meteorological Service, Jamaica, warned ahead of the storm, saying, “It will cause catastrophic damage, life-threatening damage. There is very little that can stop a Category Five hurricane.”
Powerful winds and fallen trees mark the trail of destruction, along with life-threatening flooding across the island. Roads are unpassable as storm surge up to 13 feet pours in. The parish of St. Elizabeth is reportedly underwater, and over half a million residents are without power. Four main hospitals suffered damage, with one losing power, forcing the evacuation of 75 patients.
In response to the devastation, the Prime Minister of Jamaica declared the entire island a disaster area.
Among those affected is Shantelle Nova, who was all set for her dream wedding in Jamaica. However, the storm flooded the venue and ruined their plans. “Windows are broken, a lot of water is coming in, so we’re just basically pushing towels and stuff at the doors,” Nova said. “And the level of noise is ridiculous. Trees have really bent over and flew away, and some of our roof is completely off.”
In Cuba, severe flooding inundated streets in Santiago de Cuba as the storm brought heavy rains and strong winds before making landfall. Up to 20 inches of rain were forecast in some areas, along with significant storm surge along the coast.
Approximately 500,000 people were evacuated from areas vulnerable to high winds and flooding as the powerful storm moved across the Caribbean.
CBN’s Operation Blessing is making preparations to help those affected by the storm. Teams are packing supplies and readying for deployment to bring aid to victims. On CBN’s Faith Nation, Diego Traverso, Senior Director for Operation Blessing’s Global Disaster Response Team, explained the challenges ahead: “We don’t know how catastrophic this is going to be, if the water is going to recede, if the airports are going to be open and when they’re going to be open. So, at this point, we are just getting ready as close as we can to the island and praying for favor so we can either ride on a private airplane or a commercial flight.”
The Operation Blessing team has packed much-needed disaster relief supplies, including water, food, solar lamps, hygiene kits, chlorinators, and water purification units to ensure access to clean drinking water. “Water is going to be critical; the different ways for them to get water are going to be polluted. Pray for the people of Jamaica. Pray for the team of Operation Blessing,” said Traverso.
In addition to relief supplies, Operation Blessing is prepping cargo shipments containing pallets of food and essential hygiene items for families in need.
Meanwhile, Hurricane Melissa is forecasted to move into the Bahamas later Wednesday. Jamaican officials hope to reopen the island’s airports by Thursday. President Trump has also stated that the U.S. is prepared to send assistance.
As this powerful storm continues to impact the Caribbean, communities brace for recovery efforts in the days ahead.
http://www.cbn.com/api/urlredirect.aspx?u=http://www1.cbn.com/cbnnews/world/2025/october/life-threatening-damage-hurricane-melissa-makes-landfall-in-cuba-after-battering-jamaica