New York: As the Indian states of Andhra Pradesh and Odisha assess the damage caused by Cyclone Montha, apparently relieved that the severe storm spared both states of extreme devastation, Hurricane Melissa continues to wreak havoc in another part of the world.
Hurricane Melissa, which made landfall in Cuba on Wednesday as a Category 3 storm after devastating the Caribbean island of Jamaica, is the most powerful hurricane to make landfall in 90 years.
The severe cyclonic storm has left at least 30 people dead in Haiti, Jamaica and Dominican Republic.
Not since the 1935 Labor Day hurricane has a cyclonic storm made such a strong landfall as Melissa, according to an AFP analysis of meteorological data from the US National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA).
Please give any prayers for Jamaica 🇯🇲🙏
Hurricane Melissa, one of strongest landfall hurricanes in world history with winds up to 180 mph and gusts reaching 225 mph is devastatingly destroying everything 💔
At a loss for words at this point.
Stay safe, Jamaica. ❤️🙏#Prayers… pic.twitter.com/HXWPPcZpUI
— Svrge 👑 (@kingsvrge_) October 28, 2025
The 1935 hurricane devastated Florida Keys 90 years ago, with winds approaching 300 kmph and an atmospheric pressure of 892 millibars — a record combination equalled by Melissa.
Hurricane Melissa hit Jamaica as a Category 5 storm and was the strongest one to have hit the island nation, leaving a trail of destruction behind.
Nearly 735,000 people were evacuated from their homes in Cuba before the hurricane struck.
Cuba suffered significant damage, with around 140,000 people cut off by rising river levels.
As it leaves Cuba, Melissa will next sweep through the Bahamas, and then Bermuda on Thursday with strong winds, heavy rain and coastal flooding.
