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Hurricane Melissa has moved towards eastern Cuba, where the storm is expected to make landfall as a major hurricane early Wednesday. Jamaica as one of the strongest atlantic Storm on record.
Authorities in Cuba had evacuated more than 700,000 people, according to the official newspaper Granma, and forecasters said the Category 4 storm would cause catastrophic damage. santiago de cuba And surrounding areas.
Hurricane warnings were in effect for the provinces of Granma, Santiago de Cuba. guantanamoto Holguín and Las Tunas, as well as the southeastern and central Bahamas. Hurricane warnings were in effect for Bermuda.
On Tuesday night, Melissa had sustained winds of 130 mph (215 kph) and was moving northeast at 9 mph (15 kph), according to the U.S. National Hurricane Center in Miami. The storm was centered about 110 miles (175 kilometers) southwest of Guantanamo, Cuba, and was forecast to move across the island during the night.
The storm was expected to bring up to 12 feet (3.6 m) of storm surge to the area and up to 20 inches (51 cm) of rain in parts of eastern Cuba.
“There will likely be multiple landslides in those areas,” said Michael Brennan, director of the U.S. National Hurricane Center in Miami.
The storm could worsen Cuba’s severe economic crisis, which has already caused prolonged power outages, fuel shortages and food shortages.
“A lot of work has to be done. We know there will be a lot of damage,” President Miguel Diaz-Canel said in a televised address, in which he assured that “no one will be left behind and no resources will be spared to protect the lives of the population.”
At the same time, he urged people not to underestimate the power of Melissa, which is “the most powerful force ever to attack the national territory”.
Provinces from Guantanamo in the far east to Camagüey, roughly the center of Cuba, had already suspended classes on Monday.
As Cuba prepared for the storm, officials in Jamaica began preparations Wednesday to assess the damage.
Desmond McKenzie, vice-chairman of Jamaica’s Disaster Risk Management Council, said widespread damage was reported in parts of Clarendon in southern Jamaica and the southwestern parish of St. Elizabeths, which was “underwater.”
McKenzie said the storm also damaged four hospitals and left one without power, forcing officials to evacuate 75 patients.
More than half a million customers were without power late Tuesday as officials said trees were downed, power lines downed and widespread flooding occurred across much of the island.
The government said it expected to reopen all of Jamaica’s airports by Thursday to ensure prompt distribution of emergency relief supplies.
The hurricane had already been attributed to seven deaths in the Caribbean, including three in Jamaica, three in Haiti, and one in Dominican RepublicWhere another person is missing.