WORLD

Hurricane Melissa batters Jamaica, hits Cuba

Hurricane Melissa roared ashore in eastern Cuba early Wednesday as a Category 3, prompting evacuations of more than 735,000 people, with forecasters warning of catastrophic damage in Santiago de Cuba. The storm crossed Jamaica a day earlier as a Category 5—the strongest landfall in 174 years—leaving southern and southwestern regions with extensive damage, four hospitals damaged, and over half a million without power. With 185 mph winds and 892 mb pressure tying Atlantic landfall records, Melissa is expected to sweep into the Bahamas later Wednesday, bringing dangerous storm surge and torrential rain as rapid intensification complicates emergency planning.

Reviewed by JQJO team

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