Hurricane Melissa, a massive and “extremely dangerous” storm roughly the size of Texas, is carving a path of destruction throughout the Caribbean, leaving at least seven dead and widespread damage in its wake. It swept across Cuba, making landfall as a Category 3 storm on Wednesday, causing severe flooding. About 735,000 people have been evacuated ahead of the storm’s arrival. Nicknamed the “storm of the century,” it wreaked havoc on Jamaica after making landfall as the most powerful Category 5 system ever to hit the island. It destroyed entire towns, displacing thousands of people, and prompting the country’s prime minister to declare the whole island a “disaster zone.” “It will be a very difficult night for all of Cuba, but we are going to recover,” Cuban President Miguel Díaz-Canel said, following reports that heavy rainfall in the mountains could trigger flash flooding and landslides across the island. Melissa is the strongest Atlantic hurricane ever recorded, the U.S. National Hurricane Center said. It is expected to cause further damage as it heads north through the Bahamas. The U.S. is monitoring the situation closely, with President Trump stating from Air Force One that the country is prepared to aid in recovery efforts.
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