Journalism of Courage
People across the northern Caribbean are reeling from the destruction left behind by Hurricane Melissa, one of the strongest Atlantic storms on record, as rescue and recovery efforts intensify in Jamaica, Haiti and Cuba. The storm, which brought winds of up to 185 mph (295 kph), left scores dead, thousands displaced and entire communities cut off by flooding and debris.
In Jamaica, where Melissa made landfall as a Category 5 hurricane on Tuesday, authorities confirmed at least eight deaths as residents began digging out from the wreckage. The storm destroyed homes, flattened crops and left 77 per cent of the island without power. More than 25,000 people were sheltering in evacuation centres across the island’s western half, according to officials cited by AP.
“The devastation is enormous,” Jamaican Transport Minister Daryl Vaz said, adding that emergency relief flights had begun landing at Kingston’s main airport with food, water and medical supplies.
In the southwestern parish of St Elizabeth, entire neighbourhoods were reduced to rubble.
Prime Minister Andrew Holness said up to 90 per cent of roofs in the coastal town of Black River were destroyed. “Black River is what you would describe as ground zero,” he said according to AP. “The people are still coming to grips with the destruction.”
In neighbouring Haiti, Melissa unleashed torrential rains and flash floods that killed at least 25 people and left 18 others missing, mostly in the country’s southern region, according to Haiti’s Civil Protection Agency. More than 11,600 people remained in shelters as of Thursday.
Steven Guadard, a resident of Petit-Goâve, told AP that the hurricane wiped out his entire family. Officials said at least 20 of the deaths occurred in Petit-Goâve, including 10 children, while more than 160 homes were damaged and 80 destroyed.
Authorities warned that 152 people with disabilities in southern Haiti required urgent food and medical assistance. Roads in several areas remained impassable due to landslides and flooding, hampering relief operations.
Melissa weakened to a Category 3 hurricane before slamming into eastern Cuba early Wednesday, prompting massive evacuations. No fatalities were reported after the Civil Defense evacuated more than 7,35,000 people, according to AP.
In Santiago de Cuba, residents and soldiers worked side by side to clear debris and restore access to cut-off areas.
Officials said damage was reported across the provinces of Santiago, Granma, Holguín, Guantánamo and Las Tunas, including downed power lines, cut roads and losses of banana, cassava and coffee plantations. President Miguel Díaz-Canel chaired a televised emergency meeting but did not provide an official damage estimate.
Despite widespread destruction, officials noted that the rains had helped replenish reservoirs amid a severe drought in eastern Cuba.
Meteorologists said Hurricane Melissa tied two long-standing records for Atlantic storms, matching 1935’s Labor Day hurricane and 2019’s Hurricane Dorian in both peak wind speed and low central pressure.
According to the US National Hurricane Center (NHC), Melissa was still a Category 2 storm late Wednesday with sustained winds of 100 mph (155 kph) as it moved north-northeast toward the Bahamas.
Hurricane conditions are expected to persist in the southeastern Bahamas, where dozens have been evacuated, the NHC said, warning of storm surges between 4 and 7 feet and continued flash flooding in Hispaniola.
Humanitarian relief operations are ramping up across the Caribbean. The US government has deployed a disaster response team and search-and-rescue personnel to assist affected nations, while the United Nations and Britain have also pledged aid. London announced £2.5 million ($3.3 million) in emergency funding for Jamaica.
Jamaica’s Education Minister said schools would remain closed until further notice, with restoration of power and communications expected to take weeks in some regions.
Experts said Melissa intensified rapidly from tropical storm to Category 5 hurricane in less than 24 hours. According to scientists cited by AP, unusually warm ocean waters, 2 to 3 degrees Celsius above average, fuelled the storm’s explosive growth.
(With inputs from agencies)
