Hurricane Melissa tore through the northern Caribbean and was seen picking up speed as it churned across open ocean towards Bermuda on Thursday, leaving a trail of high winds and destruction from Jamaica to Cuba and Haiti in its wake. Many schools remained without power or water, officials in the capital Kingston said. As of 1500 GMT, Melissa was packing winds of 105 miles per hour (165 kph), according to the US National Hurricane Center, downgraded from its peak to a Category 2 hurricane. Across eastern Cuba, authorities mobilised a massive evacuation effort, moving 735,000 people to shelters outside the hurricane's cone. Many Caribbean leaders have called on wealthy, heavy-polluting nations to provide reparations in the form of aid or debt relief.
