Melissa upgraded to category 4 hurricane once again
The National Hurricane Center’s 11pm ET public advisory said:
Melissa is a category 4 hurricane on the Saffir-Simpson Hurricane Wind Scale.
Melissa is expected to remain a powerful hurricane when it moves across Cuba, the Bahamas, and near Bermuda.
Hurricane-force winds extend outward up to 30 miles (45 km) from the center and tropical-storm-force winds extend outward up to 195 miles (315 km).
Key events
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Internet connectivity in Jamaica dropped to a low of 42% of normal levels, according to internet monitoring organisation NetBlocks.
The storm’s heavy winds caused widespread damage to power and communications infrastructure, cutting off many parts of the country, NetBlocks said.
A video shared by the Jamaican Constabulary Force shows officers surveying extensive damage in Black River, close to where Hurricane Melissa made landfall on Tuesday as a Category 5 storm.
The footage showed downed power lines, piles of debris and vehicles sitting in muddy water.
The full extent of the damage in Jamaica remains unclear – a comprehensive assessment could take days – but witness accounts are emerging.
Lisa Sangster, a 30-year-old communications specialist in Kingston, said her home was devastated by the storm. “My sister… explained that parts of our roof was blown off and other parts caved in and the entire house was flooded,” she told Agence France-Presse.
“Outside structures like our outdoor kitchen, dog kennel and farm animal pens were also gone, destroyed.”
Jamaican prime minister Andrew Holness has declared the island a “disaster area” and authorities warned residents to remain sheltered amid continued flooding and landslide risk. Much of the island is still without power, with communications networks badly disrupted.
Trump confirms US is prepared to aid Jamaica in Hurricane Melissa aftermath.
“We’re watching it closely, and we’re prepared to move,” he said to reporters on Air Force One, en route from Japan to South Korea.
Trump marvelled at the storm’s strength:
I’ve never seen that before. I guess it can get that high, but I’ve never seen it.
Melissa upgraded to category 4 hurricane once again
The National Hurricane Center’s 11pm ET public advisory said:
Melissa is a category 4 hurricane on the Saffir-Simpson Hurricane Wind Scale.
Melissa is expected to remain a powerful hurricane when it moves across Cuba, the Bahamas, and near Bermuda.
Hurricane-force winds extend outward up to 30 miles (45 km) from the center and tropical-storm-force winds extend outward up to 195 miles (315 km).
Up to 8,000 British citizens are stranded in Jamaica, where all airports are shut as Hurricane Melissa, one of the strongest Atlantic hurricanes in history, wreaks havoc on the Caribbean island.
The UK Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office (FCDO) urged British nationals in Jamaica to register their presence through the Government website to receive updates from the FCDO on the hurricane.
Speaking in the Commons, Foreign Secretary Yvette Cooper said:
The FCDO stands ready to help British nationals 24/7.
There are 50,000 dual nationals who live in Jamaica, up to 8,000 British citizens who may be travelling there or may be on holiday there.
We have set up a crisis centre in the Foreign Office, including with support from the Ministry of Defence, and also we are positioning specialist rapid deployment teams to provide consular assistance to British nationals in the region.
Any British nationals who are there should follow our travel advice and the advice of the Jamaican authorities.
The National Hurricane Center said those in Jamaica should remain in their shelter overnight – preferably in an interior room without windows, which is the safest place within a building, where falling trees can also be avoided.
Jamaican government downgrades warnings from “Hurricane” to “Tropical Storm”
The 11pm ET update from the National Hurricane Center said the government of Jamaica has replaced the “Hurricane Warning” with a “Tropical Storm Warning.”
“Residents in Jamaica should remain in a safe shelter,” it said.
Hurricane Melissa “re-strengthens” to category 4 as it approaches Cuba
The latest 11pm ET advisory from the National Hurricane Center (NHC) has warned Melissa is “re-strengthening as it approaches eastern Cuba.”
The hurricane is expected to make landfall “as an extremely dangerous major hurricane in the next few hours,” it said.
“In the warning area in Cuba, residents should seek safe shelter immediately.”
The NHC has warned the Bahamas that “preparations to protect life and property should be rushed to completion.”
Hurricane warnings are in effect for:
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Cuban provinces of Granma, Santiago de Cuba, Guantanamo, Holguin, and Las Tunas
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Southeastern and Central Bahamas
A hurricane watch, typically issued 48 hours before the anticipated first occurrence of tropical-storm-force winds, is in effect for:
Tropical storm warnings are in effect for:
Some images have come through from Jamaica, showing huge waves and some destruction:
Jamaica prime minister Andrew Holness said he received a message from US secretary of state Marco Rubio about Hurricane Melissa.
In a video interview with NBC’s Tom Llamas, Holness said:
Secretary of State and the President of the United States have always been good to us, and we’ve always been good and strong partners with the United States.
We’re confident that whatever assistance they can render, whatever assistance we deem necessary, there will be a great effort to have that fulfilled.
An official platform was launched by Jamaica’s government to “coordinate relief, mobilise support, and manage recovery efforts in the wake of Hurricane Melissa.”
Holness told Llamas the Jamaican government will commence other relief and recovery efforts as soon as it is safe enough to do so.
Cuba’s president has warned the country is in for a ‘very difficult night’
Writing on X, Miguel Díaz-Canel Bermúdez said 735,000 people had so far been evacuated.
Earlier, in a televised address to the nation and wearing an olive-green uniform, Díaz-Canel urged the population to not underestimate the power of the storm, calling it “the strongest ever to hit national territory.”
He asked residents to avoid bathing in swollen rivers and urged them not to leave evacuation sites “until the order has been given.”
“There will be a lot of work to do. We know there will be a lot of damage.”
