3 months ago
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SANTIAGO DE CUBA, Cuba (AP) — Hurricane Melissa made landfall successful eastbound Cuba adjacent the metropolis of Chivirico aboriginal Wednesday arsenic a Category 3 tempest aft pummeling Jamaica arsenic 1 of the strongest Atlantic hurricanes connected record, the U.S. National Hurricane Center said.
Hundreds of thousands of radical had been evacuated to shelters successful Cuba. A hurricane informing was successful effect for the Cuban provinces of Granma, Santiago de Cuba, Guantánamo, Holguin and Las Tunas, arsenic good arsenic the southeastern and cardinal Bahamas.
Early Wednesday, Melissa had apical sustained winds of 115 mph (185 kph) and was moving northeast astatine 12 mph (19 kph) according to the National Hurricane Center successful Miami. The hurricane was centered 60 miles (97 kilometers) westbound of Guantánamo, Cuba, and 230 miles (370 kilometers) southbound of the cardinal Bahamas.
The bureau warned residents of Cuba to stay sheltered and that preparations for the tempest successful the Bahamas “should beryllium rushed to completion.”
Melissa was forecast to weaken arsenic it crosses Cuba done the morning, and stay a beardown hurricane arsenic it moves crossed the southeastern oregon cardinal Bahamas aboriginal Wednesday. The tempest is past expected to marque its mode precocious Thursday adjacent oregon to the westbound of Bermuda, wherever a hurricane ticker is successful effect.
The continuing aggravated rainfall could origin life-threatening flooding with galore landslides, U.S. forecasters said.
Melissa struck Jamaica connected Tuesday with apical sustained winds of 185 mph (295 kph).
The tempest was expected to make a tempest surge of up to 12 feet (3.6 meters) successful the portion and driblet up to 20 inches (51 centimeters) of rainfall successful parts of eastbound Cuba.
“Numerous landslides are apt successful those areas,” said Michael Brennan, manager of the U.S. National Hurricane Center successful Miami.
The hurricane could worsen Cuba's terrible economical crisis, which already has led to prolonged powerfulness blackouts, arsenic good arsenic substance and nutrient shortages.
“There volition beryllium a batch of enactment to do. We cognize determination volition beryllium a batch of damage,” Díaz-Canel said successful a televised address, successful which helium assured that “no 1 is near down and nary resources are spared to support the lives of the population.”
At the aforesaid time, helium urged the colonisation not to underestimate the powerfulness of Melissa, “the strongest ever to deed nationalist territory.”
Provinces from Guantánamo — successful the acold eastbound — to Camagüey, astir successful the halfway of elongated Cuba, had already suspended classes connected Monday.
As Cuba prepared for the storm, officials successful Jamaica prepared to instrumentality retired Wednesday to measure the damage.
Extensive harm was reported successful parts of Clarendon successful confederate Jamaica and successful the southwestern parish of St. Elizabeth, which was "under water,” said Desmond McKenzie, lawman president of Jamaica’s Disaster Risk Management Council.
The tempest besides damaged 4 hospitals and near 1 without power, forcing officials to evacuate 75 patients, McKenzie said.
More than fractional a cardinal customers were without powerfulness arsenic of precocious Tuesday arsenic officials reported that astir of the land experienced downed trees, powerfulness lines and extended flooding.
The authorities said it hopes to reopen each of Jamaica’s airports arsenic aboriginal arsenic Thursday to guarantee the speedy organisation of exigency alleviation supplies.
The tempest already was blamed for 7 deaths successful the Caribbean, including 3 successful Jamaica, 3 successful Haiti and 1 successful the Dominican Republic, wherever different idiosyncratic remains missing.
