Hurricane Melissa makes landfall in eastern Cuba still with a great capacity for destruction

BarcelonaThe hurricane Balm, one of the strongest ever recorded in the Atlantic, continues the path of destruction after crossing JamaicaThis afternoon (8 a.m. in the region), the hurricane made landfall in Cuba. When it struck Jamaica on Tuesday at midday, the hurricane was a Category 5, the highest category, generating sustained winds of up to 295 km/h. After devastating this small island in the Antilles, where the death toll is still unknown, the hurricane's intensity gradually decreased as it moved toward Cuba, where it arrived as a Category 3 with winds of 190 km/h. However, authorities warned before its arrival that the Balm It was still a threat to life due to the rising sea level and the heavy rains, flooding, and landslides it was generating in eastern Cuba, in the Santiago de Cuba area. Haiti and the Dominican Republic also faced severe flooding and catastrophic landslides. It is expected to then head toward the Bahamas and Bermuda.

More than 730,000 Cubans had been evacuated from the projected path areas before the hurricane arrived. In fact, one of the most powerful storms since the passage of theIrma in 2017. As for Jamaica, it was the strongest hurricane ever to hit the country. Jamaican Prime Minister Andrew Holness declared the island a "disaster zone" on Tuesday and warned of the hurricane's "devastating impacts." "The reports we have received so far include damage to hospitals, significant damage to residential properties, homes, and commercial properties," he said Tuesday night. On Wednesday, as the eye of the hurricane had already moved away from Jamaica, the small island was getting ready to assess the damage and evaluate the situation.

"Early indications show that Hurricane Balm "It has been an unprecedented disaster for the island," Alexander Pendry, head of global response for the British Red Cross, who was in Jamaica, told the BBC. "We are already hearing reports that entire communities are underwater and that the damage caused by the strong winds has been devastating," he added. The priority now is providing for everyone who needs medical attention, shelter, drinking water, or food. Rescue efforts are underway, as well as cleanup and damage assessment.

He Balm It tied as the strongest hurricane ever to make landfall anywhere in the Atlantic, with sustained wind speeds of 295 km/h, and also tied with the 1935 Labor Day Hurricane in intensity, with a central pressure of 892 millibars. This is an extremely low and almost unprecedented pressure, tied for the third lowest ever recorded in a hurricane globally.

In Cuba, the government boasted on Wednesday about its preparedness for extreme events of this kind, which had allowed for the evacuation of 730,000 people before the arrival of the BalmThe country conducts annual drills to prepare for disasters of this kind, which are common and increasingly frequent due to the climate crisis. However, the island's infrastructure is severely deteriorated, and the electrical system has suffered several blackouts in recent months. The passage of the Balm He has once again brought out Fidel Castro's brother, Raúl Castro, to address the population: "We will emerge victorious from this latest challenge," he told them. Raúl Castro relinquished his post as first secretary of the ruling Communist Party in 2021, handing power to Miguel Díaz-Canel.

The Balm It will weaken further, but will also pick up speed as it moves northeast, passing through the Bahamas later today and then on to Bermuda on Thursday, when it is still expected to be a Category 1 hurricane.