In this satellite image, Hurricane Melissa churns through the Caribbean Sea. Photo by NOAA via Getty Images
Hurricane Melissa is heading for Cuba after it made landfall as a category 5 storm in Jamaica, battering the country with ferocious winds, heavy flood waters and landslides as one of the strongest Atlantic hurricanes in history.
Cuba’s president warned the country was in for a “very difficult night” as the category 4 storm headed for the island’s second-largest city, Santiago de Cuba.
“Melissa is expected to remain a powerful hurricane when it moves across Cuba, the Bahamas, and near Bermuda,” the US National Hurricane Centre said in an advisory.
In Jamaica, minister of local government Desmond McKenzie, said on Tuesday afternoon that the southwestern parish of St Elizabeth was “under water” and that at least three families were trapped in their homes in the community of Black river in western Jamaica.
Eyewitness footage has captured Hurricane Melissa causing widespread damage to hom
Continue Reading on The Irish Times
This preview shows approximately 15% of the article. Read the full story on the publisher's website to support quality journalism.