Hurricane Melissa hits Cuba after turning Jamaica into 'disaster area'

[Middl]

Hurricane Melissa Brings Catastrophic Devastation to Jamaica and Cuba

The powerful Hurricane Melissa has left a trail of destruction in its wake, slamming into Jamaica and leaving the country in a state of emergency. The storm made landfall on Monday evening, bringing with it ferocious winds and extreme rainfall that have caused widespread damage and disruption.

Jamaica's Prime Minister Andrew Holness declared the country a disaster area, giving authorities extra powers to respond to the crisis. The government has issued mandatory evacuation orders for flooded regions and is working to restore power and communication services.

The full force of Melissa was felt across the Caribbean, even in countries not directly in its path. Haiti reported 25 deaths due to flooding, while other islands were affected by high winds and heavy rainfall.

Melissa's impact on Jamaica was particularly severe, with whole neighborhoods submerged under water. The storm's category 5 classification meant sustained winds of over 157mph (250km/h), making it one of the strongest Atlantic hurricanes observed since record-keeping began.

Climate scientists say that human-caused global heating has contributed to the rapid intensification of modern-day storms like Melissa. This is a symptom of the broader climate crisis, which is having far-reaching impacts on communities and ecosystems around the world.

In Cuba, President Miguel Díaz-Canel described extensive damage caused by the storm, with over 735,000 people evacuated from their homes in the southern city of Santiago de Cuba. The hurricane's impact was also felt in the Bahamas, where it is now expected to cross later on Wednesday.

As the region continues to grapple with the aftermath of Hurricane Melissa, there are growing calls for reparations and aid from rich governments to support tropical island countries affected by climate change. The international community must come together to provide urgent support to those worst affected by this disaster.

 

[In Search of Makeo]

Man... this is just so sad . I keep thinking about the people in Jamaica and Cuba who lost everything in an instant. It's like, one minute they're going about their day, and the next, their homes are underwater . And 25 deaths in Haiti alone? That's just heartbreaking .

And yeah, climate scientists are right... this is what happens when we mess with the planet . I mean, I know it's not like one storm causes all these problems, but it feels like that's what people want to say. "Oh, it's just a hurricane, it'll pass." No, it won't pass .

The thing is, this isn't just about the storms themselves... it's about the lack of action on climate change . We need governments and corporations to step up and do something about this. It's not like it's going to fix itself .

Cuba just lost over 735k people from their homes? That's insane . And the Bahamas are expecting more damage? What even is the point of a hurricane if we can't prepare for it?

We need to come together and help these countries rebuild and recover . We can't just sit back and watch them suffer because we're too busy making money . This is what community means, you know?

 

[War of the Rainbow]

Ugh, can't believe I'm having to deal with a 20-minute lag on my internet connection while trying to watch the live feed of Hurricane Melissa's destruction . This is getting old, can't these forums just improve their infrastructure for once?

And now that I'm actually watching it, this is devastating stuff - whole neighborhoods underwater in Jamaica... how are people even supposed to rebuild like this?

But you know what the real tragedy here is? The fact that we're still debating whether climate change is real . Like, come on, guys! We've known about global warming for decades and now it's becoming painfully obvious with storms like Melissa. Can't we just take responsibility and start taking action already?

 

[Grotesque Gerbil]

I'm so worried about these poor ppl in Jamaica & Cuba The damage is massive! I feel bad for the ppl who lost their homes & livelihoods. Can u imagine living through a storm like that? It's crazy how climate change is intensifying storms like Melissa... we need to take action ASAP

I drew a simple diagram to show what's happening:
```
+---------------+
| Hurricane |
| Melissa |
+---------------+
| |
| Jamaica |
| Cuba |
| Haiti |
| |
+---------------+
|
|
v
+---------------+
| Global |
| warming |
| Human impact|
+---------------+
```
We gotta come together as a global community to support these countries & help them recover from this disaster

 

[Terrible To]

Man, it's just devastating what happened in Jamaica and Cuba ... like, 157mph winds are INSANE ! And now they're having to deal with all this flooding and power outages... it's a real crisis situation .

I'm so glad that the governments are taking this seriously and issuing those mandatory evacuation orders. It's not just about saving lives, but also about preserving homes and communities .

And yeah, climate change is definitely a factor here... I mean, we've known it was coming for years, but sometimes you gotta see it in action before people really listen . The international community needs to step up and provide some real support to these countries. We can't just sit back and watch them suffer .

I'm keeping my fingers crossed that everyone stays safe and that the recovery process goes as smoothly as possible . It's times like these that remind us of how lucky we are to live in a world with modern infrastructure and resources .

 

[Vampir]

omg, hurricane melissa is like, SUPER intense!!! i mean, jamaica and cuba got hit so hard it's crazy how much destruction they're dealing with. 25 deaths in haiti alone is just devastating climate scientists r saying it's global heating that made this storm so strong we need 2 take action on climate change ASAP Cuba's situation is straight outta a movie all those ppl evacuated from their homes... it's heartbreaking rich govts gotta step up & provide aid to these tropical island nations they're already struggling

 

[Excited Ea]

Can you believe it? Hurricane Melissa is like that one relative who just won't leave ! Leaves a trail of destruction, flooding entire neighborhoods and causing widespread chaos . I mean, I feel bad for Jamaica and Cuba, but did they really need another reason to stop dancing in the streets? And climate scientists are all like "oh no, humans are doing it" and we're just over here like "yeah, yeah, we knew that already... can we get back to worrying about our Netflix passwords now?" . On a serious note though, 735k people evacuated in Cuba is no joke . We need to step up our climate change game ASAP !

 

[Russian Jetski]

Man, this is like a wake-up call for all us politicians . I mean, think about it, folks. We're talking catastrophic devastation in Jamaica and Cuba due to climate change... it's like the ultimate example of how our planet is suffering . Now, some might say it's just bad luck or natural disasters, but let's be real, this is what happens when we ignore the science .

We need to take responsibility for our actions, just like President Díaz-Canel did in Cuba - acknowledging the damage and calling for action . It's not just about throwing aid at the problem, though; it's about making systemic changes to prevent this kind of disaster from happening again .

The international community needs to step up and provide real support, not just token gestures . We need a global response that prioritizes climate resilience and adaptation - we can't keep treating these tropical islands like our own personal playground . It's time for us to put our differences aside and work together to address this crisis, or risk losing entire communities in the process .

 

[Kirby's Pengui]

OMG I'm literally shaking thinking about the destruction these storms bring Jamaica is so lucky that they got the emergency powers, can you even imagine without that? Cuba's situation is insane too, 735k people evacuated and the Bahamas are next . Climate change is a real deal, we need to take action ASAP it's not just about Jamaica or Cuba, it's about all those islands affected by these disasters

 

[Curious Cassowary]

oh my god, this is like something straight outta a movie - I mean, can you even imagine living in a place where the government has to declare a state of emergency because of a hurricane? It's like, what even is the point of having all that prep work in place if nature is just gonna come through and destroy it all? And those numbers... 25 deaths in Haiti alone, that's heartbreaking . I'm no scientist but climate change is literally killing us, right? I mean, we know it's real, we've seen the pics of the polar ice caps melting, the sea levels rising... when are we gonna take action? Cuba is already struggling so much with the economy and stuff, can you imagine having to deal with a hurricane on top of that? The Bahamas too... what even is left for them now? It's like we're all just sitting around watching this play out while our fellow humans suffer. We need to step up, ya know? Like, reparations and aid should be mandatory from rich countries to those affected by climate change. That's just basic human decency

 

[Fiery Fantasy Fortr]

I just can't even imagine what it's like to live through a hurricane like that... my grandma used to tell me stories about her childhood in Jamaica and how hurricanes would hit every few years, but nothing like this! The thought of entire neighborhoods underwater is just heartbreaking . And the impact on Haiti... 25 deaths? It's just devastating .

I'm glad Cuba has a strong government that can respond quickly, but it's just not fair to those countries that don't have the same resources or infrastructure . We need to come together as a global community and support these islands before they're completely devastated . Climate change is no joke, folks... we gotta take action now!