Jamaica wakes to ‘significant’ damage as Category 2 storm brings flooding, storm surge and landslides to Cuba

After making landfall in Jamaica on Tuesday, Hurricane Melissa is now moving across eastern Cuba, bringing with it “damaging winds, flooding rains, and dangerous storm surge,” the National Hurricane Center said.

As of 8 a.m. ET, Melissa was a Category 2 hurricane with maximum sustained winds of 105 mph. It was located around 45 miles northwest of Guantanamo, Cuba, moving north-northeast at 14 mph.

“Melissa continues to move over eastern Cuba and will soon emerge into the southwestern Atlantic,” forecasters said.

The storm made landfall near New Hope, Jamaica, on Tuesday as a historic Category 5 hurricane with maximum sustained winds of 185 mph.

Jamaica on Wednesday woke up to “significant damage,” Prime Minister Andrew Holness said, declaring the country a “disaster area.” There have been reports of widespread flooding, structural damage, blocked roads and power outages throughout the island. The remnants of Melissa are “expected to bring an additional 3 to 6 inches” of rain to Jamaica today.

The storm made a second landfall in Cuba early Wednesday morning as a Category 3 storm, where rainfall today is expected to “cause life-threatening and potentially catastrophic flash flooding with numerous landslides.”

Melissa has been blamed for at least eight deaths, including four in Jamaica. At least three people died before Melissa’s arrival, and officials on Wednesday said a tree fell on an infant after the storm made landfall. At least three people were killed by the storm in Haiti over the weekend, and a fourth died in the Dominican Republic.

Follow our live blog below for the latest news on Hurricane Melissa.

Live67 updates