Hurricane 'Melissa' weakens to Category 3 after devastating Jamaica and heading for Cuba

Powerful hurricane Melissa was downgraded to a category three on its way to Cuba after battering Jamaica, declared a "disaster zone" by authorities, with fierce winds and torrential rains on Tuesday. So far 10 deaths have been reported-three in Jamaica, three in Haiti, three in Panama and one in the Dominican Republic-related to the storm's passage.

Melissa took hours to cross Jamaica, which slowed its winds as it dropped to Category 3-from the maximum level of 5-before intensifying again and losing strength again. "Melissa is expected to remain a powerful hurricane as it moves through Cuba, the Bahamas and near Bermuda," the U.S. National Hurricane Center said in its latest bulletin. It added that it will make landfall in Cuba "asan extremely dangerous major hurricane in the next few hours."

The worst hurricane to hit Jamaica since records began

The storm arrived around noon in Jamaica as a category 5 hurricane with sustained winds of up to295 km/h, the worst hurricane to hit the islandsince weather records have been kept.

Jamaica's prime minister, Andrew Holness, declared the island a"disaster area." Authorities warned residents to stay sheltered because of thecontinuing risk of flooding and landslides.

"Part of our roof wasripped off by the wind, another part collapsed, the whole house is flooded. Outside buildings such as animal pens or the kitchen were also destroyed," Lisa Sangster, a resident of southwest Jamaica, told AFP.

Kingston, the capital, was relatively unaffected, according to Mathue Tapper, a 31-year-old resident. "I have the impression that the worst is over," he confessed to AFP, although he said he was very concerned about rural areas.

Authorities had called on the population to be wary of crocodiles, which due to flooding could pose a threat.

More powerful than Katrina

The power of Melissasurpasses that of some hurricanes such as Katrina, which devastated the city of New Orleans in 2005.

On Monday, Prime Minister Holness had warned of the hurricane's consequences in the hardest-hit areas. "I don't think there is infrastructure in this region that can withstand a category 5 hurricane," he declared. "For Jamaica it will be the storm of the century so far," said Anne-Claire Fontan of the World Meteorological Organization.

The UNannounced Tuesday its intention to airlift some 2,000 emergency kitsto Jamaica from Barbados as soon as possible.

Cubans flee coastal areas and prepare for 'Melissa'

Melissa is now headed for Cuba, where it is expected to lash the east of the country. Authorities declared a "state of alarm" in six provinces - Granma, Las Tunas, Camagüey, Santiago de Cuba and Guantánamo. "May it not hurt us so much," prays Floraina Duany, 82, to the Virgin of Cobre, Cuba's patron saint.

Authorities began evacuating some 650,000 peoples in these provinces, where people are stockpiling food and trying to secure the roofs of their homes with ropes. Classes and non-essential work activities were suspended.

Up to one meter of rain was forecast, with flash floods and landslides also expected in Haiti, the Dominican Republic and Cuba.

In Haiti, authorities ordered the closure of schools, businesses and administrations on Wednesday.

'Beryl' in 2024, the last major storm to hit Jamaica

The last major hurricane to hit Jamaica was Beryl, in July 2024, an abnormally strong storm for that time of year.