Melissa causes havoc in Jamaica and Cuba
Wednesday, October 29th 2025 – 22:28 UTC
Hurricane Melissa hit Jamaica as a Category 5 hurricane, but was downgraded to Category 3 when it reached Cuba
Hurricane Melissa hit Cuba’s eastern provinces overnight, leaving a wake of widespread destruction, cutting off communities, flooding homes, and causing severe damage to critical infrastructure. The powerful storm eventually weakened but continued to generate unstable conditions across the eastern part of the island, where communities grappled with the aftermath as it drifted northeast.
On Wednesday morning, the Cuban Institute of Meteorology located the center of the system about 35 kilometers north of Punta Lucrecia, in the Holguín province. Melissa was moving northeast at 22 km/h with sustained winds of 155 km/h (Category 2 strength, based on an earlier report), continuing to bring heavy rain and strong wind gusts. The storm’s main impact has been torrential rainfall, concentrated in Holguín, Santiago de Cuba, and Guantánamo.
A total of 69 rain stations reported accumulations exceeding 100 millimeters, with a staggering seven stations recording over 300 millimeters. The rain has triggered widespread urban and river flooding, along with reports of landslides in mountainous areas.
On the north coast, storm surges reached between 4 and 6 meters, with peaks up to 7 meters in parts of Holguín and Las Tunas, causing moderate to severe coastal inundation. While waves have begun to subside on the south coast, damage remained severe in Granma, Santiago de Cuba, and Guantánamo, where numerous communities were left without electricity or road access.
Melissa was expected to track toward the Bahamas and Bermuda, though residual moisture would continue to fuel rain and thunderstorms across Cuba for the remainder of the day.
In the hours preceding Melissa’s impact, the province of Granma carried out the preventive evacuation of approximately 100,000 people. Yanetsy Terry Gutiérrez, Vice President of the Provincial Defense Council, confirmed the safe transfer of 850 high-risk residents and warned of the certainty of the storm’s arrival: “This is not a forecast, it is a fact that is coming our way,” she stressed.
In the provincial capital, Bayamo, 14 protection centers were established in educational institutions, sheltering over 2,000 people. Another 10,000 sought refuge with family and friends.
In addition, authorities were forced to conduct preventative discharges from the Corojo dam, which led to flooding of the Bayamo River. Rescue and Salvage Brigades were deployed to the riverbanks to prevent incidents.
In anticipation of widespread damage, electricity company Etecsa’s Advance Brigades were dispatched to coastal municipalities.
Melissa made landfall in Jamaica on Tuesday as a Category 5 storm—one of the most powerful on record in the Atlantic basin—prompting the Prime Minister to declare the country a disaster area.
After lashing Jamaica with dangerous winds and flooding, Melissa made a second landfall in Cuba as a Category 3 hurricane early Wednesday morning. It was subsequently classified as a Category 2 storm as it moved away from the Cuban archipelago.
Jamaica’s Ministry of Health and Wellness has issued an urgent plea for blood donations, as supplies have become critically low due to disruptions from the hurricane. The National Blood Transfusion Service urged citizens to donate at available sites like the Blood Bank in Kingston once travel is deemed safe.
