Hurricane Melissa has made landfall in Jamaica as a catastrophic storm, causing widespread devastation, power outages, and loss of life. The nation is now grappling with the aftermath.

Hurricane Melissa struck Jamaica with sustained winds of up to 185 mph, making it the strongest hurricane to hit the island in 174 years. The storm entered near Saint Elizabeth Parish in the south and is expected to exit around Saint Ann Parish in the north

Heavy floodwaters have swept across southwestern Jamaica, winds tore roofs off buildings, and boulders tumbled onto roads as Hurricane Melissa came ashore.

Landslides, fallen trees and numerous power outages were reported as Melissa came ashore near New Hope, with officials cautioning that the cleanup and damage assessment could be slow. The storm is expected to slice diagonally across the island and head toward Cuba, where intermittent rains were falling.

Internet and mobile networks are severely disrupted, complicating rescue and coordination efforts. Authorities are urging residents to stay indoors and avoid flooded areas. In a social media post, the Jamaica Public Service Company announced that 35% of customers were in the dark, with most of those outages being on the western side of the island, where Melissa is about to come ashore.

At least three people have died in Jamaica, with additional fatalities reported in Haiti and the Dominican Republic. Hundreds of thousands are without power and telecom services, with internet connectivity dropping to just 30% nationwide.

Hurricane Melissa has moved back into the Caribbean, but the impacts for Jamaica are ongoing. Heavy rain, gusty winds and powerful storm surge will continue, but will fortunately begin to lessen through the overnight hours as Melissa moves to the northeast towards Cuba.