The destructive storm struck Jamaica with ferocious sustained winds clocking 185 miles (300 kilometers) per hour on its deadly march across the Caribbean.
"This is an extremely dangerous and life-threatening situation!" warned the US National Hurricane Center, urging residents to stay sheltered and as far from windows as possible, including during the brief calm offered by the storm's eye.
Even as wind speeds dipped to 150 miles per hour, Melissa drenched communities and wreaked damage that may take days to assess as communication links remained largely down.
Surges in seawater combined with rainfall -- which will likely be measured in feet, not inches -- could trigger massive floods and landslides on the island with a population of 2.8 million.
The hurricane was the worst to ever strike Jamaica and hit land with maximum wind speeds even more potent than most of recent history's most brutal storms, including 2005's Katrina, which ravaged the US city of New Orleans.
- 'Severely damaged infrastructure' -
Even before Melissa slammed into Jamaica, seven deaths -- three in Jamaica, three in Haiti and one in the Dominican Republic -- had been blamed on the deteriorating conditions.
Melissa, now downgraded from Category 4 to 5 as its center moved off Jamaica, was set to hit Cuba on Tuesday evening and then the Bahamas.
Jamaica's climate change minister told CNN that Hurricane Melissa's effect was "catastrophic," citing flooded homes and "severely damaged public infrastructure" and hospitals.
And as if that weren't enough: health authorities were urging vigilance against crocodiles displaced by the torrential storm.
"Rising water levels in rivers, gullies, and swamps could cause crocodiles to move into residential areas," posted the South East Regional Health Authority (SERHA) in a public service announcement on Instagram.
Mathue Tapper, 31, told AFP from Kingston that those in the capital were "lucky" but feared for fellow Jamaicans in the island's more rural areas.
"My heart goes out to the folks living on the Western end of the island," he said.
The mammoth storm could leave devastation on the scale of some of the worst hurricanes in recent memory like Katrina, Maria or Harvey.
- Climate change impact -
Broad scientific consensus says human-driven climate change is responsible for intensified storms like Melissa that are occurring with increased frequency and higher potential for destruction and deadly flooding.
Melissa had quickened slightly, but still lingered over the island enough that the rains were particularly dire.
"Human-caused climate change is making all of the worst aspects of Hurricane Melissa even worse," said climate scientist Daniel Gilford.
The Jamaican Red Cross, which was distributing drinking water and hygiene kits ahead of infrastructure disruptions, said Melissa's "slow nature" exacerbated the anxiety.
The UN is planning an airlift of some 2,000 relief kits to Jamaica from a relief supply station in Barbados once air travel is possible. Assistance is also planned to countries including Cuba and Haiti, UN spokesperson Stephane Dujarric said in a briefing.
Jamaican officials said some 25,000 tourists were in the country famed for its normally crystalline waters.
Olympian sprinter Usain Bolt, one of Jamaica's most famous figures, was posting regularly on social media with messages for his home country: "Pray for Jamaica."
New danger for hurricane-hit Jamaica: wandering crocodiles
Kingston, Jamaica (AFP) Oct 28, 2025 -
Jamaican health authorities on Tuesday urged residents across the island to be vigilant for crocodiles displaced by Hurricane Melissa.
"Rising water levels in rivers, gullies, and swamps could cause crocodiles to move into residential areas," posted the South East Regional Health Authority (SERHA) in a public service announcement on Instagram.
"Residents living near these areas are therefore advised to remain vigilant and avoid flood-waters."
SERHA -- which serves residents across Kingston, St. Andrew, St. Catherine and St. Thomas -- warned families to keep children and pets away from flooded areas.
Ferocious winds and torrential rain tore into the Caribbean nation Tuesday as the deadly Hurricane Melissa made landfall, the worst storm ever to strike the island nation and one of the most powerful hurricanes on record.
The extremely violent system was crawling across the Caribbean, promising catastrophic floods and life-threatening conditions.
Hurricane Melissa could impact 1.5 mn people in Jamaica: Red Cross
Geneva (AFP) Oct 28, 2025 -
Hurricane Melissa could affect 1.5 million people in Jamaica, the International Federation of Red Cross and Red Crescent Societies said Tuesday, warning of a "massive impact".
The Category 5 storm -- which could be the island's most violent on record -- is on a painstakingly slow path through the Caribbean and expected to make landfall on the Jamaican coast on Tuesday.
"1.5 million people may be impacted," said Necephor Mghendi, the IFRC's head of delegation for the English- and Dutch-speaking Caribbean.
Speaking from Trinidad and Tobago, he told reporters in Geneva that that number could be "an underestimate".
"The humanitarian threat is severe and it's immediate," he said.
Mghendi said the Jamaican Red Cross had mobilised at its highest level but "coastal communities remain financially strained, informal settlements are highly exposed to destructive winds and already saturated soils.
"This is because it's been the rainy season and there is an increased likelihood of landslides and life-threatening floods," he said.
- 'Catastrophic' flooding predicted -
The World Meteorological Organization said the hurricane was expected to have a "massive impact".
"The wind for Jamaica is expected to reach about 280 kilometres per hour, with gusts picking up to 350 km per hour," said Anne-Claire Fontan, the WMO's tropical cyclone specialist.
"For Jamaica it will be the storm of the century so far. That's for sure."
She said up to 700 millimetres of rainfall was expected.
"It means that there will be catastrophic flash floodings and numerous landslides," said Fontan.
"In addition to the rain and the destructive wind, you will have a storm surge that is expected as well on the southern coast of Jamaica, 3-4 metres high, in addition to destructive waves.
"We have to expect the worst for this situation unfolding now."
Jens Laerke, spokesman for the UN's humanitarian agency OCHA, said the first duty was "to save as many lives as possible" by limiting the impact.
"When you have massive flooding, one of the biggest problems is water," he said, warning of "all kinds of health risks and epidemic risks if you don't have clean water."
After hitting Jamaica, Melissa is forecast to cross over eastern Cuba on Tuesday night.
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