According to preliminary authorities, at least 30 people have died in various Caribbean countries due to Hurricane Melissa. At least ten others are missing. After passing through Jamaica, the destructive storm first reached the socialist Caribbean nation of Cuba and then the Bahamas. The extent of the damage remains unclear in many places. In Jamaica, more than 530,000 households were cut off from electricity.
On Wednesday (local time) “Melissa” moved across the Atlantic towards the archipelago with wind speeds of 155 kilometers per hour. The storm caused severe damage and severe flooding, particularly in Jamaica, Cuba and Haiti.
US Secretary of State Marco Rubio deployed a disaster relief team to the region, including search and rescue teams. The experts are supposed to determine the need for assistance and support initial search and rescue operations, as the Foreign Ministry announced. It said it is working with the United Nations, non-governmental organizations and the governments of the affected countries to provide food, water, medical supplies, hygiene products and emergency shelter.
The highest number of victims so far has been reported in Haiti with at least 23. At least 20 people have died in the municipality of Petit Goâve after a river burst its banks due to persistent rains in the west of the country. At least 10 others are missing, civil defense chief Emmanuel Pierre told local media. Half of the fatalities are children. Houses, cars and livestock were swept away by the water and fields were destroyed, the newspaper “Le Nouvelliste” reported, citing eyewitnesses. Another three people had already died in Haiti.
Four bodies were discovered in Jamaica, local media reported, citing police, while there are no fatalities reported in Cuba. According to the Ministry of Health, three people died while cutting down trees in Jamaica during preparations for the storm. One person was killed in the Dominican Republic.
“Melissa” hit Jamaica hard on Tuesday (local time) with the highest category 5. The hurricane brought storm surges, damaging winds and heavy rains. The clean-up work has already begun. The hurricane also caused great devastation in Cuba. According to government figures, more than 735,000 people had previously been brought to safety. Cuba has almost ten million inhabitants. The east of the country was affected.
Videos circulating on social networks are intended to show the situation in the particularly affected areas of Cuba: people are wading through almost knee-deep water in their homes and cries for help can be heard. Streets turned into raging rivers. Eduardo Córdoba Bergara sought protection in an emergency shelter in the town of Banes with his wife and three daughters. “The fact that the family is safe reassures me. The house we live in is in poor condition and will not withstand the winds,” he told the communist party newspaper Granma.
In view of the severe damage, the government of Jamaica declared the Caribbean island a disaster area. However, the exact extent was still uncertain a day after the hurricane hit. Local media showed images of smashed houses in flooded streets. According to authorities, hospitals and bridges were damaged. More than 530,000 households were cut off from power. The regional health authority Serha warned of crocodiles in flood-affected regions.
Prime Minister Andrew Holness called on people to remain hopeful. “Our country was devastated by Hurricane Melissa, but we will rebuild it even better than before,” he wrote on Platform X.
After Cuba, “Melissa” reached the Bahamas on Wednesday afternoon (local time) – still as a “strong hurricane” according to the hurricane center. Heavy rain and flash floods are expected. The government ordered evacuations for six of the more than 700 islands. According to official information, around 1,500 people were taken from the endangered areas by plane before air traffic was stopped. “We are prepared for this moment. Whatever happens, we will rebuild,” said Prime Minister Philip Davis. A hurricane warning was in effect for the southeast and center of the Bahamas archipelago. The storm is expected to move towards Bermuda later.
The Bahamas is an island nation in the Atlantic Ocean southeast of the USA. The main industry is tourism. Parts of the land and sea are protected as national parks. The Central Andros National Park includes mangroves and wetlands and parts of the Andros Barrier Reef, which is one of the largest reefs in the world. National parks are an important refuge for many animal and plant species.
