WASHINGTON (dpa-AFX) - After devastating Jamaica, the slow-moving Hurricane Melissa made landfall in southeastern Cuba as an 'extremely dangerous' Category 3 hurricane, flooding its streets.
The hurricane, the strongest of the year, unleashes with maximum sustained winds of 120 mph, according to the National Hurricane Center.
Cuban authorities are evacuating around half a million people to safer ground.
Melissa made landfall in Cuba in the early hours of Wednesday after wreaking havoc across Jamaica.
Latest news reports say wind speeds have reached 165 mph while storm surges of 13 feet lash the Caribbean island nation.
Conditions are expected to significantly worsen with a third of the island already experiencing power cuts amid what US hurricane forecasters are describing as 'an extremely dangerous and life-threatening situation.'
The World Food Program is coordinating a sea-lift operation from Barbados, carrying essential supplies from the International Organization for Migration, UNICEF and WFP.
In Haiti, authorities have placed the departments of South and Grand'Anse on red alert, while other areas remain on orange alert.
The latest forecasts indicate winds reaching 280 km per hour - stronger than initially expected, according to the UNESCO Representative in Jamaica, Eric Falt.
He also noted that Hurricane Melissa is a slow-moving storm, which poses a major problem.
'It could stay over an area for 12 hours, maybe even two days or more, which causes massive water accumulation.'
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