Hurricane Melissa Approaches Bermuda After Leaving Deadly Trail

Hurricane Melissa marched northeast toward Bermuda on Thursday after the record-setting storm left a trail of destruction across the Caribbean, ripping roofs of buildings and causing widespread power outages.

Melissa was 685 miles (1,102 kilometers) southwest of Bermuda as of 5 a.m. New York Time and is expected to continue to speed up as it tracks 100 miles northwest of the territory as a Category 2 hurricane, according to the US National Hurricane Center said. It will weaken dramatically as it enters cooler waters in the North Atlantic near Newfoundland on Friday, US forecasters said.

The storm is predicted to be downgraded to a tropical cyclone “which is close enough to still bring hurricane-force winds,” said AccuWeather meteorologist Alex DaSilva.

Heavy rain could fall on Bermuda, according to forecasters, who urged people on the island to rush to prepare for the storm. Flooding is expected to continue Thursday in Jamaica, Cuba, Haiti and the Dominican Republic.

Melissa cut a devastating path as it moved through the Caribbean, where it shredded homes and buildings, and flooded streets in Jamaica, Haiti and Cuba, unleashing torrents of wind, rain and debris that trapped residents, stranded tourists and left at least 33 people dead.

“It may be days or a week or more before we have a more complete picture of the scale of destruction,” said AccuWeather meteorologist Jon Porter.

The storm made landfall on Tuesday near New Hope, Jamaica, as a Category 5 storm packing 185 mile (298 kilometer) per hour winds — the strongest storm ever to hit the island.

Authorities are still assessing the full extent of the damage, but economic losses are already estimated to be at least $8 billion, said Chuck Watson, a disaster modeler at Enki Research.

Much of the economic toll is likely concentrated in Jamaica due to widespread flooding, he said, with current estimates expecting around $7.7 billion in losses — more than one-third of the island’s gross domestic product.

Recovery efforts in Jamaica have been stymied by flooded roads and a “total communication blackout” in some areas, Richard Thompson, acting director general of Jamaica’s Office of Disaster Preparedness and Emergency Management, told the Nationwide News Network radio station.

The response has also been slowed by floodwaters, which have inundated hospitals, police stations and emergency service buildings, the AP reported.

The storm glanced the Bahamas and moved through the region early Thursday morning, according to the Disaster Risk Management Authority in the Bahamas. Violent wind, flooding and power outages were reported across the island chain, according to the Nassau Guardian.

Flooding in the Bahamas was expected to subside on Thursday, according to US forecasters. Hurricane warnings for central and southeastern islands were canceled, and tropical storm warnings were lifted Thursday for Turks and Caicos.