Hurricane Melissa tore a path of destruction across Jamaica.
Hurricane Melissa tore a path of destruction across Jamaica after the storm made landfall on Tuesday as a Category 5 hurricane, one of the most powerful landfalls on record in the Atlantic basin.
After lashing Jamaica with dangerous winds and flooding rain, Melissa made a second landfall in Cuba as a Category 3 hurricane on Wednesday morning. Melissa then moved through the Bahamas, and next, on Thursday night, the storm will pass Bermuda as a Category 1 or 2 hurricane.
Hurricane Melissa has made landfall in Jamaica as a Category 5 hurricane -- one of the most powerful hurricane landfalls on record in the Atlantic basin.
Melissa made landfall in southwestern Jamaica near New Hope around 1 p.m. ET with estimated maximum sustained winds of 185 mph. This is considered an extremely dangerous and life-threatening situation; people in Jamaica are urged to shelter in place.
Melissa has strengthened into one of the strongest hurricanes ever recorded in the Atlantic, with winds of 185 mph and a pressure of 892 mb, according to NOAA. Only one hurricane has had stronger sustained winds (reaching 190 mph) and only two hurricanes have had a lower pressure (888 mb, 882 mb).
The most recent hurricane with 185 mph winds was Dorian, which hit the Bahamas in 2019. Melissa is the strongest since then.
Jamaica’s military and fire brigade will be tasked with search and rescue operations after Hurricane Melissa moves across the island, according to Desmond McKenzie, deputy chairman of Jamaica's Disaster Risk Management Council.
"We have equipment that are pre-positioned,” he told reporters on Tuesday.
"Once the request comes in, the team will be ready to go. We have boats, helicopters … you name it," McKenzie said.
The Jamaica Defence Force said it’s also calling up the country's national reserve force.
"Your service matters now more than ever,” commander of the Jamaica National Reserve Brig. Ricardo Blidgen said in a statement. “All of you are essential to the JDF's ability to protect lives, restore stability and support our fellow Jamaicans in their time of need.”
-ABC News’ Ike Ejiochi and Othon Levya
As Hurricane Melissa nears landfall, there are 240,000 Jamaica Public Service customers -- accounting for 35% of all customers -- already without power, according to Daryl Vaz, Jamaica's minister of science, energy, telecommunications and transport.
The outages are mostly in St. Elizabeth, Manchester, St. James and Hanover parishes, officials said.
"Flooding is expected. Landslides are expected. Storm surge is expected," principal director of the Meteorological Service of Jamaica Evan Thompson warned on Tuesday morning.
Flooding is already being reported in St. Elizabeth Parish, officials said.
-ABC News’ Othon Leyva
