Closing summary
Hurricane Melissa tore through the northern Caribbean and was seen picking up speed as it churned across open ocean towards Bermuda on Thursday, leaving a trail of high winds and destruction from Jamaica to Cuba and Haiti in its wake. People across the Bahamas and nearby Turks and Caicos hunkered down as the passing storm pummelled them with dangerous gusts and rain.
About 515 miles (830 km) northeast of the storm’s last position, Bermudians prepared for its approach, expected by the evening. Authorities across the region, struggling to keep track of the devastation, confirmed at least 25 deaths in Haiti - 10 of them children - and four in Jamaica.
Melissa unleashed catastrophic flooding in Haiti, where at least 25 people were reported killed and 18 others missing, mostly in the country’s southern region. “It is a sad moment for the country,” said Laurent Saint-Cyr, president of Haiti’s transitional presidential council.
Satellite imagery has shown trees and homes devastated in the hardest-hit areas of Jamaica, sparse remaining greenery defoliated and most structures destroyed. Over 70% of the customer base in Jamaica was still without power as of Thursday morning, said energy minister Daryl Vaz, with power lines felled across the island’s roadways.
Jamaican prime minister Andrew Holness said up to 90% of roofs in the south-west coastal community of Black River were destroyed. “Black River is what you would describe as ground zero,” he said. “The people are still coming to grips with the destruction.”
The United States is prepared to offer immediate humanitarian aid to people of Cuba who were affected by Hurricane Melissa, US secretary of state Marco Rubio said on Thursday. The department has issued a declaration for humanitarian assistance for Cuba, as it did for neighbouring Caribbean countries, and is prepared to provide immediate aid directly and through local partners, Rubio said in a statement.
In Cuba, people began to clear blocked roads and highways with heavy equipment and even enlisted the help of the military, which rescued people trapped in isolated communities and at risk from landslides. No fatalities were reported after the Civil Defense evacuated more than 735,000 people across eastern Cuba. They slowly were starting to return home, Reuters reported.
Hurricane Melissa was expected to keep accelerating northeastward and “pass to the north-west of Bermuda” later on Thursday, before likely weakening on Friday, the US National Hurricane Center said. Bermuda will close its causeway on Thursday night and all schools and ferries on Friday among other measures “out of an abundance of caution,” national security minister Michael Weeks said in a statement.
The British government said on Thursday it is chartering flights to help British nationals leave Jamaica after Hurricane Melissa, the strongest-ever cyclone to hit the Caribbean island nation. “The Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office has chartered a limited number of flights from Jamaica for British nationals who are unable to fly home commercially,” it said in a statement.
Updated
Drone footage taken in the aftermath of Hurricane Melissa’s sweep across Jamaica on Wednesday has captured the damage caused to homes in a town on the west of the island, shown here in comparison with Google Earth images taken before the storm.
The video from Amity, Westmoreland parish, shows debris strewn around homes with damaged roofs and structures.
Cars submerged in mud following Hurricane Melissa in Petit-Goâve, Haiti, on Thursday.
Hurricane Melissa heads to Bermuda as relief efforts intensify in Jamaica
Natricia Duncan in Kingston and Oliver Holmes
Jamaica has ramped up efforts to clear roads and reach people in isolated and cut-off areas after Hurricane Melissa rampaged through the Caribbean, with the storm now heading towards Bermuda.
Kingston, Jamaica’s capital, was spared the worst damage and the main international airport has reopened to allow flights carrying critical aid to land. Officials said some towns were underwater and power lines and mobile network towers were down in much of the south-west.
“The devastation is enormous,” said the transport minister, Daryl Vaz.
Jamaica was hit first and hardest this week when Melissa made landfall on Tuesday. It was the country’s strongest hurricane since records began in 1851. The storm carried sustained winds of 185mph, far above the minimum for a category 5 storm, the strongest classification for hurricanes.
The UK government said on Thursday that it was chartering flights to the island. “The Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office has chartered a limited number of flights from Jamaica for British nationals who are unable to fly home commercially,” it said in a statement.
Hurricane Melissa has been intensely destructive, estimated to have caused billions of dollars, but accurate forecasting and government advice meant many people who were able to reach shelters were protected.
Four deaths were reported in Jamaica. In Haiti, 25 people including 10 children died in flood waters when a river overflowed its banks. “It is a sad moment for the country,” said Laurent Saint-Cyr, the head of the transitional presidential council of Haiti, the Caribbean’s most populous nation.
In eastern Cuba, authorities had evacuated about 735,000 people from their homes as the storm approached. It hit on Wednesday and by Thursday there was no official estimate of the damage. Photos from Santiago de Cuba, the province in the south-east where the storm passed over, showed people surrounded by tree branches and debris.
Across the Bahamas archipelago, which Melissa has now passed, the government had flown out nearly 1,500 people in one of its largest evacuation operations.
Despite losing some power, Melissa was still carrying winds of close to 105 miles an hour (165kph), according to the US National Hurricane Center, downgraded to a category 2 storm but still a hurricane.
About 700 miles north-east of the storm’s position on Thursday, Bermudians prepared for its approach, expected by the evening local time. The hurricane is expected to significantly weaken on Friday.
Updated
In Cuba, heavy equipment began to clear blocked roads and highways and the military helped rescue people trapped in isolated communities and at risk from landslides on Thursday.
No deaths were reported after the Civil Defense evacuated more than 735,000 people across eastern Cuba ahead of the storm. They slowly were starting to return home.
The town of El Cobre in the eastern province of Santiago de Cuba was one of the hardest hit. Home to some 7,000 people, it is also the site of the Basilica of Our Lady of Charity, patron saint of Cuba and deeply venerated by Catholics and practitioners of Santería.
“We went through this very badly. So much wind, so much wind. Zinc roofs were torn off. Some houses completely collapsed. It was a disaster,” Odalys Ojeda, a 61-year-old retiree, told the Associated Press as she looked up at the sky from her living room where the roofing and other parts of the house were torn away.
Even the basilica wasn’t spared. “Here at the sanctuary, the carpentry, stained glass and even the masonry suffered extensive damage,” Father Rogelio Dean Puerta told the AP.
A televised Civil Defense meeting chaired by Cuba’s president Miguel Díaz-Canel did not provide an official estimate of the damage. However, officials from the affected provinces - Santiago, Granma, Holguín, Guantánamo, and Las Tunas - reported losses of roofs, power lines, fiber optic telecommunications cables, cut roads, isolated communities and losses of banana, cassava and coffee plantations.
Many communities were still without electricity, internet and telephone service because of downed transformers and power lines.
As we’ve reported, in an unusual statement on Thursday, the US state department said the United States was “ready to assist the Cuban people”. A press release from the agency stated it “is prepared to provide immediate humanitarian assistance directly and through local partners who can deliver it more effectively to those in need”.
The statement did not specify how the cooperation would be coordinated or whether contact had been made with the Cuban government, with which it maintains a bitter conflict that includes six decades of economic and financial sanctions pressuring for a change in its political model. According to Reuters, Cuba’s foreign ministry said it was “awaiting clarification on how and in what way they are willing to assist”.
In an earlier update from 12pm ADT, Melissa was packing winds of 105 miles per hour (165 kph), according to the US National Hurricane Center, downgraded from its peak to a category 2 hurricane.
The storm was expected to keep accelerating northeastward and “pass to the northwest of Bermuda” later on Thursday, before likely weakening on Friday, the forecaster said.
Bermuda will close its causeway on Thursday night and all schools and ferries on Friday among other measures “out of an abundance of caution,” national security minister Michael Weeks said in a statement.
“I implore all residents to remain vigilant while we navigate another natural threat to our way of life,” he said. People should check on their neighbours and stay off roads until further notice, he added.
A woman clearing debris yesterday near a damaged building following the passage the previous day of Hurricane Melissa, in Black River, Jamaica.
Updated
The day so far
Hurricane Melissa tore through the northern Caribbean and was seen picking up speed as it churned across open ocean towards Bermuda on Thursday, leaving a trail of high winds and destruction from Jamaica to Cuba and Haiti in its wake. People across the Bahamas and nearby Turks and Caicos hunkered down as the passing storm pummelled them with dangerous gusts and rain.
About 515 miles (830 km) northeast of the storm’s last position, Bermudians prepared for its approach, expected by the evening. Authorities across the region, struggling to keep track of the devastation, confirmed at least 25 deaths in Haiti - 10 of them children - and four in Jamaica.
Melissa unleashed catastrophic flooding in Haiti, where at least 25 people were reported killed and 18 others missing, mostly in the country’s southern region. “It is a sad moment for the country,” said Laurent Saint-Cyr, president of Haiti’s transitional presidential council.
Satellite imagery has shown trees and homes devastated in the hardest-hit areas of Jamaica, sparse remaining greenery defoliated and most structures destroyed. Over 70% of the customer base in Jamaica was still without power as of Thursday morning, said energy minister Daryl Vaz, with power lines felled across the island’s roadways.
Jamaican prime minister Andrew Holness said up to 90% of roofs in the south-west coastal community of Black River were destroyed. “Black River is what you would describe as ground zero,” he said. “The people are still coming to grips with the destruction.”
The United States is prepared to offer immediate humanitarian aid to people of Cuba who were affected by Hurricane Melissa, US secretary of state Marco Rubio said on Thursday. The department has issued a declaration for humanitarian assistance for Cuba, as it did for neighbouring Caribbean countries, and is prepared to provide immediate aid directly and through local partners, Rubio said in a statement.
In Cuba, people began to clear blocked roads and highways with heavy equipment and even enlisted the help of the military, which rescued people trapped in isolated communities and at risk from landslides. No fatalities were reported after the Civil Defense evacuated more than 735,000 people across eastern Cuba. They slowly were starting to return home, Reuters reported.
Hurricane Melissa was expected to keep accelerating northeastward and “pass to the north-west of Bermuda” later on Thursday, before likely weakening on Friday, the US National Hurricane Center said. Bermuda will close its causeway on Thursday night and all schools and ferries on Friday among other measures “out of an abundance of caution,” national security minister Michael Weeks said in a statement.
The British government said on Thursday it is chartering flights to help British nationals leave Jamaica after Hurricane Melissa, the strongest-ever cyclone to hit the Caribbean island nation. “The Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office has chartered a limited number of flights from Jamaica for British nationals who are unable to fly home commercially,” it said in a statement.
Updated
Satellite imagery has shown trees and homes devastated in the hardest-hit areas of Jamaica, sparse remaining greenery defoliated and most structures destroyed.
Over 70% of the customer base in Jamaica was still without power as of Thursday morning, said energy minister Daryl Vaz, with power lines felled across the island’s roadways.
Many schools remained without power or water, officials in the capital Kingston said.
As of 3pm GMT, Melissa was packing winds of 105 miles per hour (165 kph), according to the US National Hurricane Center, downgraded from its peak to a Category 2 hurricane.
An aerial view shows destroyed buildings following the passage the previous day of Hurricane Melissa, in Black River, Jamaica.
Melissa unleashed catastrophic flooding in Haiti, where at least 25 people were reported killed and 18 others missing, mostly in the country’s southern region.
“It is a sad moment for the country,” said Laurent Saint-Cyr, president of Haiti’s transitional presidential council.
He said officials expect the death toll to rise and noted that the government is mobilising all its resources to search for people and provide emergency relief.
Steven Guadard, who lives in Petit-Goave, said Melissa killed his entire family.
“I had four children at home: a one-month-old baby, a 7-year-old, an 8-year-old and another who was about to turn 4,” he said.
The United States is prepared to offer immediate humanitarian aid to people of Cuba who were affected by Hurricane Melissa, US secretary of state Marco Rubio said on Thursday.
The department has issued a declaration for humanitarian assistance for Cuba, as it did for neighbouring Caribbean countries, and is prepared to provide immediate aid directly and through local partners, Rubio said in a statement.
“In the wake of Hurricane Melissa’s devastation of eastern Cuba, the Trump administration stands with the brave Cuban people who continue to struggle to meet basic needs,” he said.
Hurricane Melissa, with winds of 185 mph (298 kph) when it hit land, destroyed homes, washed out roads and uprooted trees before moving on to eastern Cuba. The full extent of the damage is unknown.
A state department spokesperson said the US government has not received any request for federal assistance from Cuba.
President Donald Trump has taken a hard line on U.S. policy toward the communist-run island, reversing measures put in place by former president Joe Biden. His administration said it would enforce a statutory ban on US tourism to Cuba while supporting an economic embargo of the country.
US law includes exemptions for private donations of food, medicine, and other humanitarian goods to Cuba, as well as disaster response, Rubio said.
“We encourage those seeking to directly support the Cuban people to contact us if there are any issues,” he said.
Residents of the town of El Cobre, in the city of Santiago de Cuba, charge their mobile phones after the passage of Hurricane Melissa, yesterday.
US prepared to offer humanitarian aid to Cuba after hurricane, Rubio says
The United States is prepared to offer immediate humanitarian aid to people of Cuba who were affected by Hurricane Melissa, US secretary of state Marco Rubio said in an X post on Thursday.
Rubio did not add any additional details.
Bermuda to close schools and ferries as hurricane heads towards island, says minister
Hurricane Melissa was expected to keep accelerating northeastward and “pass to the northwest of Bermuda” later on Thursday, before likely weakening on Friday, the US National Hurricane Center said.
Bermuda will close its causeway on Thursday night and all schools and ferries on Friday among other measures “out of an abundance of caution,” national security minister Michael Weeks said in a statement. He added:
I implore all residents to remain vigilant while we navigate another natural threat to our way of life.
People should check on their neighbours and stay off roads until further notice, he said.
Melissa struck Jamaica on Tuesday as the strongest-ever hurricane to directly hit its shores, with sustained winds of 185mph, far above the minimum strength for a category 5, the strongest classification for hurricanes.
In a neighbourhood of the island’s Montego Bay, 77-year-old Alfred Hines waded barefoot through thick mud and debris as he described his narrow escape from the rising flood waters.
“At one stage, I see the water at my waist and [after] about 10 minutes time, I see it around my neck here and I make my escape,” he told Reuters on Wednesday. He added:
I just want to forget it and things come back to normal.
The capital Kingston was spared the worst damage and its main airport was expected to reopen on Thursday.
But US forecaster AccuWeather estimated Melissa could cost $22bn in damages and economic loss and that rebuilding could take a decade or more.
Updated
Hurricane Melissa smashed through the northern Caribbean and was seen picking up speed as it churned across open ocean towards Bermuda on Thursday, leaving a trail of high winds and destruction from Jamaica to Cuba and Haiti in its wake.
People across the Bahamas and nearby Turks and Caicos hunkered down as the passing storm pummelled them with dangerous gusts and rain. About 600 miles (970km) northeast of the storm’s last position, Bermudians prepared for its approach, expected by the evening, reports Reuters.
Authorities across the region, struggling to keep track of the devastation, confirmed 25 deaths in Haiti – 10 of them children – and four in Jamaica.
As of 12pm GMT, Melissa was packing winds of close to 105 miles per hour (165kph), according to the US National Hurricane Center, downgraded from its peak to a category 2 hurricane.
Updated
The PA news agency have some additional details on the news that the UK government will charter flights to help British nationals leave Jamaica after Hurricane Melissa (see 12.13pm GMT).
UK foreign secretary Yvette Cooper said in a statement on Thursday:
The strong links between the UK and Jamaica mean many British nationals were there during the devastation of the hurricane, and we need to ensure they can get safely home, as we know how worrying and difficult the last few days will have been.
The UK government is chartering flights to bolster commercial capacity and ensure people who wish to return to the UK can do so as soon as possible.
Two specialist rapid deployment teams are travelling to Jamaica to facilitate the flights and provide consular assistance.
The UK government’s £2.5m in emergency humanitarian funding will go towards providing emergency supplies such as shelter kits, water filters and blankets, according to the Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office (FCDO). UK experts are also heading to the region to help coordinate and distribute aid.
Emergency relief flights began landing at Jamaica’s main international airport, which reopened late on Wednesday, as crews distributed water, food and other basic supplies, reports the PA news agency.
The government will release a form for those affected to register for the flights, and all British nationals who have already registered being in Jamaica will automatically contacted, the FCDO said. It asked all Britons in Jamaica to register that they are there.
Seat costs for the flights will be based on standard commercial fares, the FCDO said, adding that it will prioritise the most vulnerable such as people with medical needs and children.
British nationals and their immediate family members – a partner, spouse or children under 18 years old – are eligible. Windrush generations with indefinite leave to remain in the UK also qualify for the service.
The FCDO added that British nationals should not travel to the airport unless it has contacted them with a seat allocation.
Updated
Hurricane Melissa was expected to keep accelerating northeastward and “pass to the northwest of Bermuda” later on Thursday, before likely weakening on Friday, the Florida-based forecaster said.
Bermuda will close its causeway on Thursday night and all schools and ferries on Friday among other measures “out of an abundance of caution,” national security minister Michael Weeks said in a statement.
“I implore all residents to remain vigilant while we navigate another natural threat to our way of life,” he said. People should check on their neighbours and stay off roads until further notice, he added.
Here are some more images from Haiti yesterday:
UK charters flights to help Britons leave Jamaica after hurricane
The British government said on Thursday it is chartering flights to help British nationals leave Jamaica following Hurricane Melissa, the strongest-ever cyclone to hit the Caribbean island nation.
“The Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office has chartered a limited number of flights from Jamaica for British nationals who are unable to fly home commercially,” it said in a statement.
Britain on Wednesday said it was making £2.5m ($3.36m) available in emergency humanitarian funding to assist the Caribbean region’s recovery from Hurricane Melissa.
When Melissa came ashore in Jamaica as a Category 5 hurricane with top winds of 185 mph (295 kph) on Tuesday, it tied strength records for Atlantic hurricanes making landfall, both in wind speed and barometric pressure. It was still a Category 3 hurricane when it made landfall again in eastern Cuba early Wednesday.
A hurricane warning remained in effect Thursday for Bermuda, AP reported. An earlier warning for the central and southeastern Bahamas was lifted but the US weather agency warned of additional rainfall up to 10 inches (254 mm).
Hurricane conditions were expected to continue through the morning in the southeastern Bahamas, where dozens of people were evacuated.
Melissa was a Category 2 storm with top sustained winds near 105 mph (169 kph) Thursday morning and was moving north-northeast at 21 mph (33 kph) according to the US National Hurricane Center in Miami.
The hurricane was centered about 215 miles (345 km) northeast of the central Bahamas and about 685 miles (1,105 km) southwest of Bermuda.
In Cuba, people began to clear blocked roads and highways with heavy equipment and even enlisted the help of the military, which rescued people trapped in isolated communities and at risk from landslides.
No fatalities were reported after the Civil Defense evacuated more than 735,000 people across eastern Cuba. They slowly were starting to return home, Reuters reported.
“We are cleaning the streets, clearing the way,” said Yaima Almenares, a physical education teacher from the city of Santiago, as she and other neighbors swept branches and debris from sidewalks and avenues, cutting down fallen tree trunks and removing accumulated trash.
In the more rural areas outside the city of Santiago de Cuba, water remained accumulated in vulnerable homes on Wednesday night as residents returned from their shelters to save beds, mattresses, chairs, tables and fans they had elevated ahead of the storm.
Jamaican prime minister Andrew Holness said up to 90% of roofs in the south-west coastal community of Black River were destroyed.
“Black River is what you would describe as ground zero,” he said. “The people are still coming to grips with the destruction.”
More than 25,000 people remained crowded into shelters across the western half of Jamaica, with 77% of the island without power.
Haiti’s Civil Protection Agency said Hurricane Melissa killed at least 20 people in Petit-Goave, including 10 children.
It also damaged more than 160 homes and destroyed 80 others.
Officials warned that 152 disabled people in Haiti’s southern region required emergency food assistance.
More than 11,600 people remained sheltered in Haiti because of the storm.
People across the northern Caribbean were digging out from the destruction of Hurricane Melissa on Thursday as deaths from the catastrophic storm climbed.
The rumble of large machinery, whine of chainsaws and chopping of machetes echoed throughout southeast Jamaica as government workers and residents began clearing roads in a push to reach isolated communities that sustained a direct hit from one of the most powerful Atlantic storms on record.
Stunned residents wandered about, some staring at their roofless homes and waterlogged belongings strewn around them.
“I don’t have a house now,” said a distressed Sylvester Guthrie, a resident of Lacovia in the southern parish of St Elizabeth, as he held onto his bicycle, the only possession of value left after the storm.
“I have land in another location that I can build back but I am going to need help,” the sanitation worker pleaded.
Hurricane Melissa leaves 29 dead, headed for Bermuda next
Hello and welcome to the Hurricane Melissa live blog. I am Tom Ambrose and I will be bringing you all the latest news lines as the storm moves towards Bermuda.
It has already smashed its way through the northern Caribbean and was seen picking up speed as it churned across open ocean towards Bermuda on Thursday, leaving a trail of high winds and destruction from Jamaica to Cuba and Haiti in its wake.
People across the Bahamas and nearby Turks and Caicos hunkered down as the passing storm pummelled them with dangerous gusts and rain. Around 700 miles (1,100 km) north-east of the storm’s last position, Bermudians prepared for its approach, expected by the evening, Reuters reported.
Authorities across the region, struggling to keep track of the devastation, confirmed 25 deaths in Haiti – 10 of them children – and four in Jamaica.
As of 9am GMT, Melissa was packing winds of close to 105 miles per hour (165 kph), according to the US National Hurricane Center (NHC), downgraded from its height to a category 2 storm.
It was expected to continue accelerating north-eastward and “pass to the north-west of Bermuda” later on Thursday, before likely weakening on Friday, the Florida-based forecaster said.
Melissa struck Jamaica on Tuesday as the strongest-ever hurricane to directly hit its shores, with sustained winds of 185 mph, far above the minimum strength for a category 5, the strongest classification for hurricanes.
Read our full report here:
In other developments:
The most intense tropical cyclone to hit Jamaica in nearly two centuries, Melissa is one of the strongest Atlantic hurricanes observed since record-keeping began. Climate scientists say human-caused global heating has contributed to the rapid intensification of modern-day storms.
Many Jamaicans woke up on Wednesday without power, with reports of whole neighbourhoods submerged. The prime minister, Andrew Holness, has declared the country a disaster area, giving authorities extra powers such as issuing mandatory evacuation orders for flooded regions and preventing price gouging.
Massive damage was reported across the island, much of it in the westernmost parts, where the category 5 cyclonic storm moved diagonally across ground at a slow pace, ripping roofs from buildings and flipping over cars. Photos showed a tree ripped out of the ground by the roots and roads submerged by gravel and earth.
Jamaica’s minister of local government, Desmond McKenzie, said the hurricane was “one of the worst experiences that [Jamaica] has ever encountered”.
In Mandeville, the capital and largest town in the parish of Manchester, residents were thankful that they were not as badly hit as other parts of the island, even if serious damage was visible. The city’s streets were strewn with the detritus the hurricane left in its wake – fallen trees blocked roads, some homes had their roofs missing and power lines had been downed.
One resident, Jack Gardner, 43, said the hurricane was “very deadly” but that his home had stayed up. “I wasn’t scared,” he said. “I get used to the storms.” Gardner said he had lived through storm Gilbert in 1988 as a child, storm Ivan in 2004, and storm Beryl, which hit Jamaica last year. Storms are named only when they are expected to have a severe impact.
Another resident of Mandeville, Lisa Henry, also said she had not been scared. “I was mostly praying,” said the 35-year-old. “I just passed the school, Manchester High, and the top [had been] ripped up,” she said. “Yes, it’s going to take back the country.”
Updated
