Super Hurricane Melissa made landfall near New Hope, St Elizabeth, on Tuesday, unleashing Category 5 winds of up to 185 mph (295 km/h) and causing widespread destruction.
Videos show roofs ripped from buildings, including St Elizabeth Technical High School, with fallen trees and debris strewn across the parish. Residents in St Elizabeth, Westmoreland, Hanover, and St James have been urged to remain indoors, even during the temporary calm of the storm’s eye.
The U.S. National Hurricane Center said Melissa’s central pressure of 892 millibars ties it with Hurricane Dorian (2019) and the 1935 Labor Day Hurricane as the strongest Atlantic landfalls on record.
The Office of Disaster Preparedness and Emergency Management reported extensive structural damage, blocked roads, and downed power lines. Emergency teams are standing by to begin rescue and recovery once conditions improve.
Melissa is expected to move off Jamaica’s north coast later Tuesday, remaining extremely dangerous as it heads toward the Cayman Islands and southern Bahamas.
