Hundreds of Thousands Evacuate Historically Powerful Hurricane in Eastern Cuba, Jamaica
Hurricane Melissa caused severe flooding and widespread damage across the Caribbean, resulting in at least 25 deaths in Haiti after the La Digue River overflowed, destroying homes and trapping people under rubble. The storm hit Cuba as a Category 3 hurricane, prompting mass evacuations and warnings across several provinces. Jamaica suffered meaningful destruction as melissa made landfall as a powerful Category 5 storm-the strongest as 2019 in the region-with four deaths reported and extensive power outages affecting about three-quarters of the island. The storm also triggered landslides and flooding,especially in southern parishes like St.Elizabeth, where towns were overwhelmed. Officials in Jamaica and Haiti are urgently requesting aid and rescue support. The U.S. and Britain are deploying humanitarian aid, rescue teams, and funds to assist affected areas, including support for thousands of displaced people and stranded foreign nationals. Melissa continues to impact the Bahamas, growing in size, with further flooding and storm surges expected as it moves toward Bermuda. Authorities emphasize the importance of seeking shelter and preparedness as recovery efforts begin in the hardest-hit regions.
Flooding from Hurricane Melissa killed 25 people in Haiti while the storm still churned across Cuba Wednesday after leaving Jamaica with widespread damage and power outages, officials said.
Jean Bertrand Subrème, mayor of the southern Haitian coastal town of Petit-Goâve, told The Associated Press that 25 people died after La Digue River burst its banks and flooded nearby homes.
Dozens of homes collapsed and people were still trapped under rubble as of Wednesday morning, he said.
“I am overwhelmed by the situation,” he said as he pleaded with the government to help rescue victims.
In eastern Cuba, hundreds of thousands of people were evacuated and a hurricane warning was in effect for the provinces of Granma, Santiago de Cuba, Guantanamo, Holguin, and Las Tunas as Hurricane Melissa made landfall as a Category 3 storm early Wednesday.
The storm, which has since been downgraded to Category 2, was expected to generate a storm surge of up to 12 feet in the region and drop up to 20 inches of rain in parts of eastern Cuba.
Melissa was expected later Wednesday to move through the southeastern or central Bahamas, where a hurricane warning is in effect.
Authorities in Jamaica are assessing the damage from Melissa after it tore through the island nation Tuesday as the fifth most intense Atlantic hurricane on record by pressure, and the strongest to make landfall since 2019.
Four deaths have been reported in Jamaica and one in the Dominican Republic, where another person remains missing
Here’s the latest:
Death Toll Could Change
Haitian Prime Minister Alix Didier Fils-Aimé expressed concern about the number of victims reported in the country’s southern region and noted that the death toll could change.
“The government pays its respects to the deceased and s the profound sorrow of the bereaved families and the affected communities,” he said.
Britain to send $3.3 million to Jamaica
Britain is sending 2.5 million pounds ($3.3 million) in humanitarian funding to Jamaica to deliver emergency supplies such as shelter kits, water filters, and blankets in the wake of Hurricane Melissa.
The government said Royal Navy ship HMS Trent is in the Caribbean, and a specialist Foreign Office team has been sent to Miami to provide support to stranded British nationals.
Up to 8,000 U.K. citizens are thought to be in Jamaica, either on vacation or visiting family. All airports there are currently closed.
Britain’s Foreign Office said Melissa was “likely to be the strongest hurricane in Jamaica’s history” and was expected to have left towns and infrastructure “severely damaged or destroyed.” About three-quarters of the island is currently without power.
Jamaican coastal town officials plead for help
Officials in Black River, Jamaica, a coastal town of approximately 5,000 people in the southwestern part of the Island, pleaded for help in recovery efforts.
“Catastrophic is a mild term based on what we are observing,” Black River mayor Richard Solomon told a news conference on Wednesday, noting that local rescue infrastructure had been demolished by the storm.
The local hospital, police units, and emergency services were flooded and unable to conduct emergency recovery operations, he said. The storm also destroyed the facility where relief supplies were being stored.
“We are not able to help at all,” Solomon said, standing in front of obliterated buildings and debris as he called for external help.
“Conditions are going to deteriorate as the day progresses,” Solomon said.
US to send response teams to the Caribbean
The United States is sending rescue and response teams to assist in recovery efforts in the Caribbean, U.S. Secretary of State Marco Rubio announced on X Wednesday. He said that government officials were coordinating with leadership in Jamaica, Haiti, the Dominican Republic, and the Bahamas.
“Our prayers are with the people of the Caribbean,” he wrote.
‘Growing in size’
Michael Brennan, director of the U.S. National Hurricane Center in Miami, said the storm began affecting the southeastern Bahamas Wednesday.
“The storm is growing in size,” he said, noting that tropical storm force winds now extend almost 200 miles from the center.
Melissa’s center is forecast to move through the southeastern Bahamas later Wednesday, generating up to 7 feet of storm surge in the area.
“People should be in their safe shelter,” he said.
By late Thursday, Melissa is expected to pass just west of Bermuda.
Brennan warned that additional flooding was still possible Wednesday in Jamaica and in southern Haiti, where at least 25 people were reported killed after a river burst its banks.
Thousands packed into shelters in Jamaica
More than 25,000 people were packed into shelters across Jamaica on Wednesday, hours after Melissa made landfall as a catastrophic Category 5 storm.
People kept streaming into the shelters throughout the day after the storm ripped off the roofs of their homes and left them temporarily homeless.
“It’s not going to be an easy road, Jamaica,” said Desmond McKenzie, deputy chairman of Jamaica’s Disaster Risk Management Council.
He said no one should be turned away from any shelter, and that they would remain open indefinitely until a long-term housing solution is found.
Landslides and floods in Jamaica
The small town of Santa Cruz in the southern Jamaican parish of St. Elizabeth was devastated by Hurricane Melissa.
A massive landslide triggered by widespread flooding blocked the town’s main roads, and streets have been reduced to mud pits. Residents swept out gallons of water from their homes as they tried to salvage whatever was left of their belongings.
“I never see anything like this before in all my years living here,” said Jennifer Small.
Fierce winds ripped off part of the roof at St. Elizabeth Technical High School, which was designated a public shelter.
“The entire hillside came down last night,” Robert James said.
US sends search and rescue teams
The U.S. government said it was deploying a disaster response team and search and rescue personnel to the region.
The State Department said non-emergency personnel and family members of U.S. government employees were authorized to leave Jamaica because of the storm’s impact.
The Western Journal has reviewed this Associated Press story and may have altered it prior to publication to ensure that it meets our editorial standards.
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