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The death toll from Hurricane Melissa rose to 49 on Thursday, official reports said, as the storm wreaked widespread destruction in the northern Caribbean and gained strength as it moved past Bermuda in the North Atlantic.
The US National Hurricane Center (NHC) said flooding was likely to subside in the Bahamas, although high water levels could persist in Cuba, Jamaica, Haiti and the nearby Dominican Republic. A study from Imperial College London found that one of the most powerful storms ever recorded was four times more likely to occur due to human-induced climate change. AFP Report.
Hurricane Melissa Update: Top 10 Points
- Haitian officials noted at least 30 deaths and 20 people missing after several days of heavy rain caused by the slow-moving storm, although the country was not directly affected.
2. Jamaica’s information minister confirmed at least 19 deaths, saying search and rescue operations were ongoing. According to the report, the storm deprived thousands of people of power, tore off roofs of buildings and scattered debris across fields. Reuters.
3. The Jamaican military has called up reserve personnel to assist in relief and rescue efforts.
4. Winds were well above the threshold for the strongest hurricane category, and forecasters at AccuWeather said it was on par with the second-strongest Atlantic hurricane on record in terms of wind speed at landfall. AccuWeather estimated that the storm caused between $48 billion and $52 billion in damage and economic losses throughout the western Caribbean region.
5. The storm also affected eastern Cuba, causing the evacuation of about 735,000 people, although no deaths were reported as of Thursday, despite significant damage to homes and crops.
6. Bermuda residents remained calm as the storm was predicted to pass the island at a relatively safe distance. Authorities announced they would close the route Thursday night and suspend schools and ferries on Friday “out of an abundance of caution.”
7. In the Bahamas, where Melissa passed Wednesday night, officials lifted hurricane warnings but did not declare the “all clear.” Authorities expected to decide by Saturday whether it was safe for hundreds of people evacuated from the affected islands to return home, an official said.
8. Felicia Correa, who lives in the La Trampa community near El Cobre, gave information AFP“Melissa” killed us, because it destroyed us. We were already going through great difficulty. Now, of course, we are in a much worse situation.”
9. Meanwhile, Cuban officials said about 735,000 people had been evacuated, mainly from the provinces of Santiago de Cuba, Holguín and Guantanamo.
10. Melissa struck southwestern Jamaica on Tuesday as a powerful Category 5 hurricane, the Caribbean country’s most powerful hurricane to make direct landfall and the first major hurricane to do so since 1988.
(with inputs from agencies)
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