Hurricane Melissa Makes Landfall in Eastern Cuba After Devastating Jamaica
Hurricane Melissa made landfall in eastern Cuba early Wednesday as a Category 3 storm after pummeling Jamaica as a Category 5 hurricane. The powerful storm slammed ashore near the town of New Hope, causing widespread destruction to homes and businesses across Jamaica.
Evan Thompson, Principal Director at the Meteorological Service of 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.”
The island has been left with powerful winds, fallen trees, and life-threatening flooding. Roads have become unpassable as storm surges up to 13 feet poured 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, which forced the evacuation of 75 patients.
In response to the devastation, the Prime Minister of Jamaica declared the entire island a disaster area.
Personal Stories from the Storm
Among those affected is Shantelle Nova, who had been preparing for her dream wedding in Jamaica. However, the storm flooded the venue and forced them to adjust 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 shared. “The level of noise is ridiculous. Trees have really bent over and flew away, and some of our roof is completely off.”
Impact in Cuba
In Cuba, Hurricane Melissa brought heavy rains and strong winds before making landfall, causing severe flooding in Santiago de Cuba. Up to 20 inches of rain were forecast for certain areas, along with significant storm surge along the coast. Approximately 500,000 people were evacuated from vulnerable regions to protect them from the storm’s furious impact.
Operation Blessing Mobilizes Disaster Relief
CBN’s Operation Blessing is actively preparing to assist victims of Hurricane Melissa. They are packing supplies and readying a team to provide aid to those affected by the storm.
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 an airplane, private one or commercial.”
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 is going to get polluted. Pray for the people of Jamaica. Pray for the team of Operation Blessing,” Traverso urged.
Additionally, the team is preparing cargo shipments with pallets of food and hygiene items to support families in need.
Moving Forward
Hurricane Melissa is forecast to move into the Bahamas later Wednesday. Jamaican officials are hopeful to reopen the island’s airports by Thursday.
Meanwhile, U.S. President Donald Trump has stated that the United States is prepared to send assistance to those impacted by the hurricane.
