Cubans waded through flooded houses Wednesday and authorities in Haiti reported 10 dead as Hurricane Melissa blasted across the Caribbean after devastating swaths of Jamaica.

The storm made landfall in Cuba overnight, with the US National Hurricane Center (NHC) describing it as “extremely dangerous” even if starting to weaken.

“It has been a very difficult early morning,” Cuban President Miguel Diaz-Canel said.

“Extensive damage, and Hurricane Melissa is still over Cuban territory,” he posted on social media. “I urge our people not to let their guard down, to maintain discipline, and to remain safely sheltered.”

Residents in the east of the communist island struggled through flooded homes and inundated streets, with windows smashed, power cables downed and roofs torn off.

AFP reporter

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