Hurricane Melissa, the strongest storm on the planet this year, claimed its first lives. Jamaica braces for 'catastrophic' impact

Jamaican authorities have urged the population to take refuge in higher ground and in shelters ahead of the hurricane's arrival, warning that the powerful storm is putting their lives at risk, reports The Guardian.

Melissa has undergone extreme intensification, reaching Category 5, with winds of more than 280 km/h and even stronger gusts, thus becoming the most powerful storm on the planet this year, notes CNN.

Jamaicans have been preparing since Monday for the arrival of Hurricane Melissa, which could be the most violent such phenomenon to ever hit its territory, being expected to cause catastrophic floods and landslides, according to international news agencies.

The violent storm was headed for Jamaica on Tuesday, expected to make landfall in Cuba later that day and then head for the Bahamas. Melissa has killed seven people in the northern Caribbean on her way to Jamaica, where it is midnight at the time of this report.

The US National Hurricane Center said Melissa has “catastrophic potential” and could cause significant flooding in parts of the South Coast.

A display of pure power from Hurricane Melissa today.

Remarkable satellite imagery. pic.twitter.com/TpBvmdZxlw

— Dakota Smith (@weatherdak) October 28, 2025

Evacuation order

Melissa was about 150 miles (245 km) southwest of Kingston on Monday night, packing impressive winds gusting to 4 mph (4 km/h), the US National Hurricane Center said.

Mandatory evacuation orders have been issued for vulnerable coastal areas in Jamaica ahead of the arrival of the unprecedented storm expected to hit on Tuesday morning.

The Caribbean island is already experiencing “torrential rain”, Jamal Peters, a receptionist at the Grand Hotel Excelsior in Port Royal, a small historic town at the end of the narrow peninsula that faces the capital Kingston, told AFP.

On this strip of land, home to the international airport that has been closed since Saturday, neither imminent danger nor evacuation orders are causing residents to flee.

Some people did not want to leave their homes

“Should we evacuate? No, no. Ever since I've known hurricanes, I've never left this place. It's no different with this one. Even if it was a category six, I wouldn't move,” Roy Brown, a plumber, told AFP.

A woman settled in Port Royal for about thirty years, Jennifer Ramdial “just doesn't want to leave” and cites the poor conditions in the shelters.

“At the time of Hurricane Beryl last year, a lot of people stayed at home,” confirmed Jamal Peters. “Jamaicans are not the type of people to leave their homes. They prefer to stay, and if a window is broken or something, they are there to try to find a solution,” said the receptionist.

A resident of Kingston told CNN that the threat posed by Hurricane Melissa has “taken a toll” on Jamaicans.

“We are very concerned. The most powerful storm on the planet … is hitting that tiny dot on the world map,” said Steve Dunn, a store owner in the capital.

Dunn kept his hardware store open despite the danger posed by Melissa to help his community prepare for the storm.

Hurricane Melissa will also hit Cuba

The National Hurricane Center issued a severe warning for residents of Jamaica late Monday as powerful Category 5 Hurricane Melissa approaches.

“Stay in safe shelters. Catastrophic flooding and numerous landslides are expected through Tuesday. Destructive winds from the eye of the hurricane may cause total structural destruction, particularly at higher elevations, resulting in extensive infrastructure damage, extended power and communications outages, and isolation of communities. Along the southern coast, waves are expected through Tuesday life-threatening storm surges and destructive waves. Failure to take immediate action may result in serious injury or significant loss of life,” the National Hurricane Center said.

After Jamaica, Melissa is expected to hit Cuba late Tuesday night or early Wednesday morning.

From there, it will affect portions of the Bahamas and surrounding areas. A hurricane warning remains in effect for the southeastern and central Bahamas, while a tropical storm warning is in effect for the Turks and Caicos Islands.