In short

• Hurricane Melissa, a Category 5 hurricane, has hit Jamaica, causing severe damage, flooding, landslides, and power outages.
• The Jamaican government and experts are warning of catastrophic consequences, and residents in the south of the island are fearing for their homes and lives.
• The hurricane is one of the strongest in Atlantic history and also threatens Haiti, Cuba, and the Bahamas, where mass evacuations are underway.

Powerful Hurricane Melissa made landfall in Jamaica on Tuesday, the US National Hurricane Center (NHC) reported. It is packing winds of nearly 300 km/h. According to the NHC, it is one of the strongest hurricanes ever recorded in the Atlantic.

Melissa made landfall in southwestern Jamaica near New Hope, about 160 km from the capital, Kingston. Life-threatening storm surges with waves up to four meters high are expected there.  According to meteorologists, it is the most powerful hurricane ever to hit the Caribbean island.

"The southwest part of Jamaica was the first to be hit by Category 5 Hurricane Melissa," reported the Conflichistory and News profile on X.

Winds of 295 km/h were reported to be sweeping through the area, causing severe flooding and destruction.

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Footage of the natural disaster hitting the Caribbean island is being posted on social media.

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Hurricane Melissa hits Jamaica, with initial damage reported.

The streets of Kingston, Jamaica's capital, are deserted. Strong winds are already blowing through the city, effectively forcing people to stay indoors, as local authorities have urged. Landslides, fallen trees, and power outages are being reported.

"Jamaica, this is not the time for courage," said Desmond McKenzie, vice-chairman of the Jamaica Disaster Risk Management Council, as quoted by the AP."Don't bet on Melissa not coming, because you'll lose," he appealed.

The Jamaican government says it has done everything in its power to prepare the country for the devastating storm."There is no infrastructure in this region that could withstand a Category 5 hurricane," said Jamaica's Prime Minister, Andrew Holness.

According to Michael Brennan, director of the U.S. National Hurricane Center in Miami, extensive damage is expected in the hurricane's eyewall, and winds could reach speeds of up to 322 km/h in the highest parts of the Jamaican mountains."This is a very dangerous scenario," Brennan said.

Jamaica. A powerful element is gaining strength."This is a catastrophic situation."

According to Michael Lowry, a hurricane specialist and storm surge expert, quoted by the AP, Melissa is the fifth most powerful hurricane in the Atlantic basin on record in terms of pressure and the strongest to make landfall since Hurricane Dorian in 2019. - This is a worst-case scenario for Jamaica - Lowry said.

"This is a catastrophic situation," Anne-Claire Fontan, a tropical cyclone specialist at the World Meteorological Organization, said at a press conference."This will certainly be the storm of the century for Jamaica," she added.

"Many people have never experienced anything like this before, and the uncertainty is the worst. There is a deep fear of losing their homes and livelihoods, of being injured and having to be relocated ," said Colin Bogle of the local aid organization Mercy Corps.

Melissa poses a particular threat to Jamaica, Haiti, and southeastern Cuba. In Cuba, authorities announced the evacuation of over 500,000 people from areas exposed to strong winds and flooding. Bahamas Prime Minister Philip Davis ordered the evacuation of residents in the southern and eastern parts of the archipelago.

Melissa is the 13th Atlantic tropical cyclone this year to be named, the fifth to achieve hurricane status, and the third Category 5 hurricane.

Melissa is already ranked among the most powerful Atlantic hurricanes, just ahead of Katrina, which wreaked havoc on the southern coast of the United States in August 2005, particularly in and around New Orleans. It remains the costliest Atlantic hurricane on record, with property damage estimated at $125 billion at the time. The cost of damage from Hurricane Harvey in 2017 was the same.