Hurricane Melissa smashed into Jamaica as a ferocious top-level storm, with sustained winds peaking at nearly 300 km per hour while drenching the nation with torrential rain. Melissa tied the 1935 record for the most intense storm ever to make landfall, according to an AFP analysis of meteorological data. The IFRC has launched an emergency appeal to assist 180,000 people affected by the storm in Jamaica over the next 24 months.