Santiago de Cuba, Cuba, October 29 (AP) - Hurricane Melissa is hurtling toward eastern Cuba, poised to make landfall as a major storm early Wednesday after ravaging Jamaica as one of the most intense Atlantic hurricanes on record. In anticipation, Cuban authorities have evacuated over 700,000 residents, as reported by Granma, Cuba's official newspaper. Forecasters predict the Category 4 storm will cause catastrophic damage in Santiago de Cuba and surrounding areas.
A hurricane warning has been issued for the provinces of Granma, Santiago de Cuba, Guantanamo, Holguin, and Las Tunas, along with the southeastern and central Bahamas. Meanwhile, a hurricane watch remains active for Bermuda.
By Tuesday night, Melissa's maximum sustained winds were 215 kph, moving northeast at 15 kph, according to the US National Hurricane Center in Miami. Positioned approximately 175 kilometers southwest of Guantánamo, Cuba, the hurricane was projected to traverse the island overnight.
The storm is anticipated to produce a storm surge up to 3.6 meters and rainfall totaling up to 51 centimeters in sections of eastern Cuba. "Numerous landslides are likely in those areas," stated Michael Brennan, director of the US National Hurricane Center in Miami.
Cuba's ongoing severe economic crisis, marked by persistent power blackouts, fuel, and food shortages, could be exacerbated by the hurricane. "There will be a lot of work to do. We know there will be a lot of damage," President Miguel Díaz-Canel said in a televised address. He reassured that "no one is left behind and no resources are spared to protect the lives of the population," while also cautioning against underestimating Melissa's power, "the strongest ever to hit national territory." Schools from Guantánamo in the far east to Camagüey have already been closed since Monday.
As Cuba braces for the storm, officials in Jamaica are preparing to assess the damage on Wednesday. Significant destruction was reported in parts of Clarendon in southern Jamaica and the southwestern parish of St Elizabeth, which was "under water," according to Desmond McKenzie, deputy chairman of Jamaica's Disaster Risk Management Council.
The storm damaged four hospitals and left one without power, requiring the evacuation of 75 patients, McKenzie reported. More than half a million customers faced power outages as officials noted widespread downed trees, power lines, and extensive flooding across the island.
The government aims to reopen all of Jamaica's airports by Thursday to expedite the distribution of emergency relief supplies.
So far, the storm is linked to seven fatalities across the Caribbean, with three in Jamaica, three in Haiti, and one in the Dominican Republic, where another individual remains missing.
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