Hurricane Melissa: Death Toll Rises in Jamaica, Haiti, Cuba

here’s ‍a breakdown of the information from the provided text,⁤ organized for clarity:

Hurricane Melissa – Key Impacts & Current Status (as of October 30, 2025)

* Strength: Initially a Category 5 hurricane (185⁣ mph winds, record-tying strength for Atlantic landfalls). Weakened to a Category 3 by the time it hit Cuba.
* Path:

* Made landfall in Jamaica as a Category 5.
* Made landfall in eastern Cuba ⁣as a Category 3.
⁤ * Heading towards Bermuda (hurricane warning in effect).
* Affecting the central and southeastern Bahamas with heavy rain and winds.

Impacts in Cuba:

* ⁤ Evacuations: Over 735,000 ⁢people were evacuated. People are now returning home.
* Damage:

‍ * Blocked roads and highways (cleanup underway with heavy equipment and military assistance).
* Loss of roofs, power lines, ⁢and telecommunications cables.
⁤ * Isolated communities.
* ⁤ Damage ⁤to banana, cassava, and coffee plantations.
* Flooding in rural areas.
* Positive Note: The rain was beneficial for reservoirs and easing a drought.
* ⁤ Ongoing Issues: Many communities are without electricity, internet, and telephone service.
* Humanitarian Aid: The U.S. State ⁢Department (via marco Rubio) announced a declaration of humanitarian assistance for Cuba, to be delivered directly and through local partners.

impacts in Haiti:

* A girl is seen walking through floodwater in Port-au-Prince ‍(photo⁣ caption). The extent of⁤ damage beyond this image is not detailed in‍ the text.

Impacts in Jamaica:

* Hurricane Melissa made landfall as a Category 5 hurricane. No further details are provided in the text.

Source:

* Guerinault Louis / Anadolu via Getty Images (photo)
* U.S. National Hurricane Center in Miami (forecasts)