At Least 39 People Killed After Hurricane Melissa Hits the Caribbean

Hurricane Melissa Leaves Destruction in its Wake

Hurricane Melissa made landfall for the second time in eastern Cuba on Wednesday morning, bringing with it fierce winds and heavy rainfall. This devastation unfolded just hours after the storm struck Jamaica, being recorded as the third strongest hurricane ever in the Atlantic Basin.

As reports of the hurricane’s impact surfaced, the death toll climbed, now standing at a tragic 39. There’s also one person unaccounted for, with the possibility that more could be missing.

The mayor of Petit Goave, a town in southern Haiti, informed The Associated Press that 25 fatalities occurred there due to relentless rains from Melissa, which caused a nearby river to overflow and flood the area. Mayor Jean-Bertrand Sobrem mentioned that numerous homes had been destroyed and a number of individuals were still trapped under debris.

As shared by PBS News, the flooding from Hurricane Melissa has accounted for 25 deaths in Haiti. The storm continues its course through Cuba, having already left substantial damage and power outages in Jamaica.

Weather Fatalities, a page dedicated to tracking fatalities caused by natural disasters, reported 29 deaths in Haiti overall, with the remaining four recorded in Fontamara (three) and Marigot (one). In addition, four individuals lost their lives in the Dominican Republic, including one in the capital, Santo Domingo, while three others’ locations remain unspecified. Moreover, two deaths related to the hurricane were reported in Panama, specifically in the Milono district.

So far, in Jamaica, four deaths have been confirmed, occurring in St. Elizabeth (1), St. Catherine (1), and Hanover (1), with one death listed as occurring in “Western Jamaica” without a specific location indicated. While locals have indicated there may be additional fatalities, these reports are yet to be confirmed.

Minister for Local Government and Rural Development, Desmond McKenzie, commented during a press conference that there have been no confirmed deaths reported at this point, expressing hope that the toll would remain unchanged.

According to Weather Fatalities, 27 of the deceased drowned, three fatalities were linked to landslides, and two were crushed. There were also three indirect deaths attributed to ‘tree incidents’ (two) and electrocution (one). The circumstances surrounding four deaths remain undisclosed.