The recorded death toll from Hurricane Melissa surged to 49 on Thursday, as confirmed by official sources, after causing widespread devastation in the northern Caribbean region and accelerating past Bermuda in the North Atlantic.
In Haiti, although not a direct target of the hurricane, the country endured heavy rainfall for several days, leading to at least 30 fatalities and 20 individuals reported missing.
In the southern town of Petit-Goave in Haiti, 23 individuals, including 10 children, lost their lives when a river overflowed. The torrential rains also caused damage to roads, residences, and agricultural lands.
Information Minister of Jamaica verified a death toll of 19, with ongoing search and rescue missions. The storm resulted in widespread power outages, structural damage, and debris scattered across fields.
Jamaica’s military has mobilized reserve personnel to assist in relief and rescue operations.
Hurricane Melissa slammed into Jamaica as the strongest recorded storm to make landfall in country’s history, leaving behind widespread damage.
Upon making landfall in southwestern Jamaica on Tuesday, Melissa, a formidable Category 5 hurricane, became the nation’s most powerful storm ever to directly hit the region, marking the first major hurricane landfall since 1988.
The hurricane’s wind speeds exceeded the threshold for the most severe hurricane classification. AccuWeather forecasters indicated that it ranked as the second strongest Atlantic hurricane based on recorded wind speeds at landfall.
Estimated economic losses and damages in the western Caribbean region due to Melissa’s impact range between $67 billion and $72 billion.
While also affecting eastern Cuba, where around 735,000 individuals were evacuated, no fatalities were documented as of Thursday, despite significant property and crop destruction.
As of 11 p.m. local time, Melissa was a Category 2 storm situated 264 kilometers to the west of Bermuda in the North Atlantic, with maximum sustained winds of 161 km/h, as reported by the U.S. National Hurricane Center.
Residents in Bermuda remained vigilant, as the storm was anticipated to veer away from the island. Authorities announced the closure of the causeway on Thursday night and the suspension of schools and ferries on Friday as a precautionary measure.
In the Bahamas, which Melissa passed through on Wednesday night, storm warnings were lifted, but the “all clear” was yet to be given. Officials stated that a decision on allowing evacuated individuals to return to their homes on affected islands would be made by Saturday.