Hurricane Melissa has claimed at least 49 lives across the Caribbean as of Thursday, October 30, unleashing widespread devastation, power outages, and impassable roads that are severely hampering aid efforts, particularly in Jamaica and Haiti.
Jamaica accounts for at least 19 of the fatalities, while Haiti has reported another 30 deaths, with thousands more displaced and entire communities cut off from assistance.
Dana Morris Dixon, Jamaica’s Information Minister, confirmed the dire situation. “There are entire villages that have been cut off, and some areas are almost flat,” she said.
Western Jamaica has been the hardest hit, enduring widespread power and water outages across the island. Thousands of residents are struggling to clear debris, mud, and floodwaters from their homes.
In Haiti, the storm triggered flash floods, with overflowing rivers in the town of Petit-Goâve alone responsible for at least 30 deaths. The United Nations reports that around 15,000 people have sought refuge in over 120 emergency shelters.
Melissa made landfall in Jamaica earlier this week as a Category 5 hurricane, the highest classification, with maximum sustained winds of 295 kilometers per hour (183 miles per hour). It subsequently battered Haiti and Cuba before heading towards Bermuda.
Despite the main airport in Kingston, Jamaica, partially reopening, many regional airports remain closed or are operating at limited capacity. Roads are extensively damaged, making it difficult to deliver aid; for example, a route from Mandeville to Black River that typically takes one hour now requires over eight hours due to collapsed sections and fallen trees.
In Cuba, authorities proactively evacuated approximately 735,000 people from areas at risk, out of more than 3 million residents potentially in harm’s way. The country has not reported any fatalities, though over 240 communities are isolated by floods and landslides.