Hurricane Melissa Churns Across Cuba As A Category 3 Storm

SANTIAGO DE CUBA, Cuba (AP) — Hurricane Melissa was sweeping through Cuba as a Category 3 storm on Wednesday. After beating Jamaica as one The strongest Atlantic hurricanes on recordThe US National Hurricane Center said:

Hundreds of thousands of people were evacuated to shelters in Cuba. A hurricane warning was in effect for Granma, Santiago de Cuba, Guantánamo, Holguin and Las Tunas provinces, as well as the southeastern and central Bahamas.

Melissa had sustained winds of 105 mph (165 km/h) and was moving north-northeast at 14 mph (22 km/h), according to the National Hurricane Center in Miami. The hurricane concentrated 45 miles (70 kilometers) northwest of Guantanamo, Cuba, and 205 miles (335 kilometers) south of central Bahamas.

The agency warned that preparations for the storm in the Bahamas “must be completed expeditiously.”

Melissa hit Jamaica on Tuesday with sustained winds of 185 mph (295 kph) before weakening over land.

It was expected to continue weakening as it passed Cuba and remain a strong hurricane as it moved through the southeastern or central Bahamas later Wednesday. The storm is expected to move near or west of Bermuda late Thursday, where a hurricane watch is in effect.

The storm was expected to produce a storm surge of up to 12 feet (12 feet) across the region and dump up to 20 inches (51 centimeters) of rain in parts of eastern Cuba. US forecasters said heavy rain could cause life-threatening flooding along with numerous landslides.

The hurricane could worsen Cuba’s severe economic crisis, which has already caused prolonged power outages and fuel and food shortages.

“There will be a lot of work to be done. We know there will be a lot of damage,” Cuban President Miguel Díaz-Canel said in a televised speech, adding: “No one is left behind and no resources are spared to protect the lives of the people.”

He urged the public not to underestimate the power of Melissa, “the most powerful person ever to hit the national soil.”

Authorities in Jamaica were assessing the damage. More than half a million customers were without power late Tuesday as authorities reported downed trees, power lines and heavy flooding across much of the island.

Desmond McKenzie, vice-president of the Jamaica Disaster Risk Management Council, said in parts of the south of Clarendon and St. He said extensive damage was reported “underwater” in the southwestern area of ​​Elizabeth.

The storm damaged four hospitals and left one without power, forcing authorities to evacuate 75 patients, McKenzie said.

The government has said it hopes to reopen all of Jamaica’s airports as early as Thursday to ensure rapid distribution of emergency relief supplies.

The storm was blamed for seven deaths in the Caribbean, including three in Jamaica, three in Haiti and one in the Dominican Republic, where one person remains missing.