Hurricane Melissa: Jamaica wakes up to destruction as storm pummels Cuba

Footage released by Jamaica police captured scenes of destruction after the Category 5 storm barrelled across the island.

Hurricane Melissa, the strongest storm to ever hit Jamaica, and the largest on record this year, left widespread destruction in its wake Tuesday, obliterating buildings, ripping off roofs and flinging debris across the island.

At its peak, the storm brought winds of nearly 300 km/h, causing significant damage to the island’s southwestern and northwestern regions. The extent of the damage is still being evaluated.

Footage released by the Jamaica Constabulary Office captured scenes of destruction in the city of Black River, located in the southwestern parish of St. Elizabeth, after the Category 5 storm barrelled through the area.

The video shows cars half-submerged in flood waters and the remnants of downed infrastructure beside piles of mangled power lines.

The parish, which is known for producing a significant proportion of the island’s crops, was “underwater” following the storm, according to Desmond McKenzie, deputy chairman of Jamaica’s Disaster Risk Management Council.

Meanwhile, Coleridge Minto, head of the St. Elizabeth police at the Black River police station, said the priority was to keep everyone in the vicinity alive.

“We also have a number of residents living in and around this area with homes that were damaged and have come to seek refuge at the station,” Minto said in a video on the constabulary force’s Instagram.