HURRICANE MELISSA DOWNGRADES TO CATEGORY 2 AS IT MOVES ACROSS CUBA . (PHOTO).

 Hurricane Melissa downgrades to Category 2 as it moves across Cuba 

SANTIAGO DE CUBA, CUBA - Hurricane Melissa was moving across Cuba on Wednesday as a Category 2 storm after striking Jamaica as one of the strongest Atlantic hurricanes on record, according to the U.S. National Hurricane Center.

In Jamaica, at least one death was reported when a tree fell on a baby in the island’s west, officials said. The hardest-hit areas were concentrated in the southwest and northwest, with widespread damage including downed trees, power lines, and flooding. More than half a million customers were without electricity, and several hospitals were damaged, forcing the evacuation of patients. Officials are working to restore airport operations to distribute emergency aid.

Melissa had sustained winds of 105 mph (165 kph) and was moving north-northeast at 14 mph (22 kph), centered about 45 miles northwest of Guantánamo, Cuba, and 205 miles south of the central Bahamas. Hurricane warnings were in effect across eastern Cuban provinces, including Granma, Santiago de Cuba, Guantánamo, Holguin, and Las Tunas, as well as for the southeastern and central Bahamas. Hundreds of thousands of Cubans were evacuated to shelters in preparation for the storm.

The hurricane is expected to weaken as it moves across Cuba, but remain powerful as it approaches the Bahamas later Wednesday, with a possible path near or west of Bermuda by Thursday. Forecasters warned of storm surges up to 12 feet (3.6 meters) and rainfall reaching 20 inches (51 centimeters) in parts of eastern Cuba, raising the risk of flooding and landslides. Cuban President Miguel Díaz-Canel urged residents not to underestimate the storm, calling it the strongest ever to hit the country.

The Caribbean has already suffered losses from Melissa, with seven deaths reported across the region, including three in Jamaica, three in Haiti, and one in the Dominican Republic, where another person remains missing. U.S. disaster response teams and search and rescue personnel have been deployed, and non-emergency personnel and families of U.S. government employees were authorized to leave Jamaica due to the storm’s impact.