Sean Paul survived Hurricane Melissa’s wrath as the Category 5 monster slammed Jamaica with record-breaking 185 mph winds, leaving the dancehall superstar documenting the chaos from his Kingston home.
The hitmaker became an unlikely lifeline for fans worldwide as communication lines collapsed across Jamaica, posting dramatic footage of pounding rain, roaring winds and debris swirling around his residence. Hurricane Melissa made landfall Tuesday morning as the strongest storm to ever hit Jamaica since record-keeping began 174 years ago. The monster hurricane packed winds exceeding 175 mph and a central pressure of 892 millibars, tying records set by the 1935 Labor Day hurricane in Florida and 2019’s Hurricane Dorian.
By Wednesday, the death toll across the Caribbean had climbed to at least 32 people. Haiti confirmed 23 deaths due to flash floods and landslides, while Jamaica reported eight fatalities and the Dominican Republic one. The storm left 77% of Jamaica without power as it barreled toward Cuba and the Bahamas. In Jamaica’s agricultural heartland of St. Elizabeth, where the hurricane made its devastating landfall, entire communities were wiped out.