LIVE: Hurricane Melissa’s Deadly March Across the Caribbean Continues

Hurricane Melissa continued to batter the Caribbean on Wednesday after tearing through Jamaica and Cuba, leaving dozens dead and entire towns underwater. The storm has now moved offshore into the southwestern Atlantic, bringing hurricane-force winds, torrential rain, and dangerous storm surge to the Bahamas as it tracks northeast toward Bermuda.

Melissa made landfall in Jamaica on Tuesday as a catastrophic Category 5 hurricane with sustained winds of 185 mph, the strongest ever recorded on the island, before crossing eastern Cuba overnight. At least seven people have been confirmed dead in Jamaica, while officials in Haiti report more than 40 fatalities from flooding.

Hundreds of thousands of people remain in shelters across Cuba, where several provinces are still submerged. Communication lines in western Jamaica remain down, and recovery efforts are slow. The U.S. National Hurricane Center warns that damaging winds, flooding rains, and dangerous storm surge will continue across the Bahamas through the night.

Key Developments

• Jamaica’s strongest hurricane on record: Melissa hit Jamaica as a Category 5 storm with record-low central pressure, flattening homes, uprooting trees, and triggering deadly landslides.

• Cuba reels from historic floods: More than 735,000 people remain displaced. Granma and Santiago de Cuba provinces report entire towns underwater and major roads blocked by landslides.

• Bahamas under siege: The storm is moving across the central Bahamas with sustained winds near 100 mph. Forecasters warn of 5 to 10 inches of rain and storm surge up to 7 feet.

• Haiti death toll rises: At least 40 people have died in widespread flooding, and dozens remain missing as heavy rain continues.

• International aid mobilizes: The United States and the United Kingdom have launched rescue and relief missions. Britain has pledged $3.3 million in humanitarian assistance to Jamaica.