Cuba braces itself for Hurricane Melissa
News from Cuba | Tuesday, 28 October 2025
Cuba is bracing itself as Hurricane Melissa, the year’s most powerful storm, is expected to make landfall on the eastern end of the island on Tuesday evening.
Melissa is due to wreak havoc in Jamaica earlier in the day, with the Category 5 storm set to be the strongest to hit Cuba’s neighbour to the south since record-keeping began 174 years ago.
In Cuba, plans are in place to evacuate over 600,000 people from provinces in the east of the island. A hurricane warning is in effect for the provinces of Granma, Santiago de Cuba, Guantánamo and Holguin. Most likely to be severely impacted include the low-lying coastal areas between Santiago de Cuba and Guantánamo, where the hurricane is likely to make landfall Tuesday evening.
At a meeting of the National Defence Council (CDN) the coordination of a national response to Melissa focused on the need to protect elderly people living alone and other vulnerable individuals. Cuban President Miguel Díaz-Canel Bermúdez made clear that the most important thing in the face of the enormous threat is the protection of human life.
Dr. Celso Pazos Alberdi, director general of the Institute of Meteorology, explained that rainfall will be among the most significant impacts of the storm. Cuba is bracing itself for up to 51 cm of rainfall, with the US’s National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) forecasting flash floods and landslides as a result. Sea surges are also expected - on the south coast as the storm enters and on the north coast as it exits, with coastal flooding likely to occur.
Plans are already in place for the post-hurricane recovery phase, including the restoration of electrical services, water supply, sanitation and hygiene. Provinces have been preparing for the effects of Hurricane Melissa since October 22, when an early warning was issued.
Melissa has already claimed seven lives in the region – three in Jamaica, three in Haiti and one in the Dominican Republic.
