‘Melissa’ hits 250 km/h, 7 dead

Hurricane ‘Melissa’ has lashed the Caribbean with winds of 250 km/h. According to the US National Hurricane Center (NHC), it is a powerful Category-5 storm, causing severe waves and flooding and inundating many areas.
The storm has killed 7 people so far. 3 deaths have been reported in Jamaica, 3 in Haiti and 1 in the Dominican Republic. However, local authorities said that one more person is missing. Meanwhile, according to the Red Cross, at least 1.5 million people may be directly affected by the impact of the cyclone.
The country’s government said that the power and communication systems have been severely damaged. Emergency relief operations have already begun and an online portal has been opened to help the victims. Meteorologists fear that there is a risk of severe landslides and flooding in Jamaica, which could cause a greater humanitarian disaster.
The storm has already begun to hit neighboring Cuba. People are being evacuated from the country’s coastal areas and the highest alert has been issued. In addition, the weather forecast says that ‘Melissa’ could hit the Cuban land by Wednesday morning. Meteorologists believe that Melissa has gained additional strength due to an unusual increase in sea temperatures due to climate change. According to them, this indicates a terrible humanitarian crisis not only for Jamaica, but for the entire Caribbean region.