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Hurricane Melissa came ashore in Jamaica Tuesday as a catastrophic Category 5 storm, one of the strongest Atlantic hurricanes on record, and it will continue on to hit eastern Cuba as a major hurricane, expected early Wednesday.
Evacuations are underway as up to 20 inches (51 centimeters) of rain is forecast for areas of eastern Cuba, along with significant storm surge along that coast.
In Jamaica, Melissa’s rain and 185 mph (295 kph) winds caused landslides, fallen trees and numerous power outages as officials cautioned the damage assessment would be slow.
What to know:
- What we know about the damage so far: “There is no infrastructure in the region that can withstand a Category 5,” Jamaica’s Prime Minister Andrew Holness said. Desmond McKenzie, deputy chairman of Jamaica’s Disaster Risk Management Council, said that it was too early to talk about the extent of the damage because the hurricane — the strongest to hit the island since recordkeeping began 174 years ago — was still pummeling the country. The storm already was blamed for seven deaths in the Caribbean, including three in Jamaica, three in Haiti and one in the Dominican Republic, where another person remains missing.
- How to help those impacted: Relief organizations are already mobilizing to help across the northern Caribbean. As is typical in disasters, nonprofit groups told The Associated Press that cash is the best form of assistance, since unsolicited goods donations can overwhelm already strained systems. Experts recommend using sites like Charity Navigator or the Better Business Bureau’s Wise Giving Alliance to check out unfamiliar charities before donating. The Miami Heat donated $1 million to an organization helping with recovery efforts in the region, an NBA statement said Tuesday.
- Warming oceans fuel Melissa’s ferocity: The warming of the world’s oceans caused by climate change helped double Hurricane Melissa’s wind speed in less than 24 hours over the weekend, climate scientists said Monday. Scientists said this is the fourth storm in the Atlantic this year to undergo rapid intensification of its wind speed and power.
