Sawt Falasteen - Caribbean reels from 'unprecedented' hurricane destruction

Headed for the Bahamas and Bermuda as a weakened but still threatening storm, Melissa left behind "unprecedented" devastation in Jamaica, according to a UN official, and untold misery to Cuba.

"It has been a very difficult early morning," Cuban President Miguel Diaz-Canel said on social media, citing "extensive damage" on the communist island battling its worst economic crisis in decades.

Residents in Cuba's east struggled through flooded and collapsed homes and inundated streets, with windows smashed, power cables downed and roofs and tree branches torn off amid intense winds.

Some carried loved ones unable to walk for themselves and arms full of quickly gathered belongings.

Hurricane Melissa hit Cuba with maximum sustained winds of 120 miles (195 kilometers) per hour, according to the US National Hurricane Center (NHC), which urged residents to "remain sheltered" even as the storm left the island headed north.

"In the Bahamas, residents should remain sheltered," the center warned, and in Bermuda, "preparations should be underway and be completed before anticipated first occurrence of tropical-storm-force winds."

- 'Disaster area' -

In Jamaica, UN resident coordinator Dennis Zulu told reporters Melissa had brought "tremendous, unprecedented devastation of infrastructure, of property, roads, network connectivity."

Prime Minister Andrew Holness declared the tropical island famed for tourism a "disaster area" but said there have yet to be confirmed deaths caused by the storm.

"Our teams are on the ground working tirelessly to rescue, restore, and bring relief where it's needed most... To every Jamaican, hold strong. We will rebuild, we will recover," he said on X.

Pope Leo offered prayers from the Vatican, while the United States said it was in close contact with the governments of Jamaica, Haiti, the Dominican Republic and the Bahamas.

"We have rescue and response teams heading to affected areas along with critical lifesaving supplies. Our prayers are with the people of the Caribbean," Secretary of State Marcu Rubio said on X, without mentioning ideological foe Cuba.

- 'Disaster area' -

At least 20 people in southern Haiti, including 10 children, were killed in floods caused by the hurricane earlier this week, according to civil defense agency head Emmanuel Pierre. Ten more were missing.

Hurricane Melissa tied the 1935 record for the most intense storm ever to make landfall when it battered Jamaica on Tuesday, according to data from the US National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA).

Lisa Sangster, a 30-year-old communications specialist in Kingston, said her home was devastated.

"My sister... explained that parts of our roof was blown off and other parts caved in and the entire house was flooded," she told AFP.

- Communications down -

In the Cuban town of El Cobre, rescue workers attempted Wednesday to reach 17 people, including children and elderly people, trapped by rising floodwaters and a landslide, according to state media.

"We are safe and trying to stay calm," rheumatologist Lionnis Francos, one of those stranded, told the official news site Cubadebate.

"The rescuers arrived quickly. They called us, but couldn't cross because the road is blocked."

The full scale of Melissa's damage is not yet clear. A comprehensive assessment could take days with communications networks badly disrupted across the region.

Jamaican government minister Desmond McKenzie said several hospitals were damaged, including in Saint Elizabeth, a coastal district he said was "underwater."

Many homes were destroyed and about 25,000 people sought refuge in shelters.

Mathue Tapper, 31, told AFP from Kingston those in the capital were "lucky" but feared for fellow Jamaicans in the island's more rural western areas.

Due to climate change, warmer sea surface temperatures inject more energy into storms, boosting their intensity with stronger winds and more precipitation.

"Human-caused climate change is making all of the worst aspects of Hurricane Melissa even worse," said climate scientist Daniel Gilford.

T.Ibrahim--SF-PST