Hurricane Melissa leaves a trail of destruction and kills dozens in Jamaica, Haiti and Cuba

Hurricane Melissa left dozens dead and widespread destruction in Jamaica, Haiti and Cuba, while continuing to threaten the Bahamas and Bermuda.

Melissa made landfall east of Cuba early Wednesday near the city of Chiverico as an “extremely dangerous” Category 3 storm, the Miami-based National Hurricane Center said. On Tuesday, that is Jamaica hit As one of The strongest Atlantic hurricanes on record With maximum sustained winds of 185 mph.

On Wednesday afternoon, Melissa’s center was about 80 miles southeast of central Bahamas and about 890 miles southwest of Bermuda, according to the Hurricane Center. Its maximum sustained winds were 90 mph, making it a Category 1 storm, and it was moving northeast at about 16 mph.

The hurricane center said it was expected to move over the southeast or central Bahamas on Wednesday evening and pass near Bermuda late Thursday.

Officials across the Caribbean region hit by Melissa were already assessing the effects of the storm. Haiti’s Civil Protection Agency said in a statement that at least 23 people were killed and 13 others were missing. Eight deaths were reported in Jamaica and one in the Dominican Republic.

Jamaica rushes to assess damage

In Jamaica, more than 25,000 people were crammed into shelters on Wednesday and more trickled in throughout the day after the storm tore off the roofs of their homes and left them temporarily homeless. Dana Morris Dixon, Jamaica’s Minister of Education, said that 77% of the island was without electricity.

Richard Thompson, acting director-general of Jamaica’s Office of Disaster Preparedness and Emergency Management, told the National News Network radio station that the power outage complicated the damage assessment process due to the “complete loss of communications” in the areas.

Prime Minister Andrew Holness said in a statement that teams are working to rescue people and provide relief where it is needed most.

He added, “Recovery will take time, but the government is fully mobilized.” He added: “Relief supplies are being prepared, and we are doing everything we can to quickly restore normal life.”

Officials in Black River, Jamaica, a coastal town of about 5,000 people in the southwestern part of the island, asked for help at a news conference on Wednesday.

“Disaster is a mild term based on what we are observing,” Mayor Richard Solomon said.

Solomon said the storm destroyed local rescue infrastructure. The hospital, police units and emergency services were inundated by the floods and were unable to conduct emergency operations. The storm also destroyed the facility where relief supplies were stored.

In southwest Jamaica, David Muschet, 84, sat among the ruins of his house without a roof. He said he lost everything, pointing to his wet clothes and furniture scattered on the grass, while part of the roof of his house was partially blocking the road.

“I need help,” he pleaded.

The government said it hopes to reopen Jamaica’s airports as early as Thursday to ensure rapid distribution of emergency relief supplies.

Secretary of State Marco Rubio said the United States was sending rescue and response teams to assist in recovery efforts in the Caribbean In a post on social media. He said government officials are coordinating with leadership in Jamaica, Haiti, the Dominican Republic and the Bahamas.

“Our prayers are with the people of the Caribbean,” he wrote.

Authorities found at least four bodies in southwest Jamaica, St. Elizabeth Police Superintendent Coleridge Minto told National News Network on Wednesday. State Minister Abaka Fitz-Henley told the National News Network that a death had been reported in the west when a tree fell on a child.

Before making landfall, Hurricane Melissa had already been responsible for three deaths in Jamaica, three in Haiti, and one in the Dominican Republic.

Cuba weathers the storm

People in the eastern Cuban province of Santiago de Cuba began clearing rubble around the walls of their collapsed homes on Wednesday after Melissa made landfall in the area hours earlier.

“Life is what matters,” said Alexis Ramos, a 54-year-old fisherman, as he inspected his destroyed home and protected himself from the intermittent rain with a yellow raincoat. “Fixing this costs money, a lot of money.”

Local media showed pictures of the Juan Bruno Zayas Medical Hospital with extensive damage: glass scattered on the floor, waiting rooms in ruins, and walls crumbling to the ground.

“The early morning was very complicated. As soon as conditions allow, we will begin the recovery. We are ready,” President Miguel Díaz-Canel wrote on X.

The hurricane could exacerbate Cuba’s severe economic crisis, which has already led to prolonged power outages along with fuel and food shortages.

The Cuban National Institute of Water Resources reported accumulated rainfall of 15 inches in Charco Redondo and 14 inches in Las Villas Reservoir.

Moving towards the Bahamas

Melissa Brennan, director of the National Hurricane Center, said Melissa began impacting the southeastern Bahamas on Wednesday. Authorities in the Bahamas were evacuating dozens of people from the southeastern corner of the archipelago before Melissa arrived.

“The size of the storm is growing,” Brennan said, noting that tropical storm force winds now extend about 200 miles from the center.

Melissa’s center is expected to move across the southeastern Bahamas later Wednesday, generating up to 7 feet of storm surge in the area. By late Thursday, Melissa is expected to pass west of Bermuda.