The death toll from Hurricane Melissa rises to more than 50 across the Caribbean
Communities in Jamaica, Haiti, the Dominican Republic, and Cuba are working to recover from the damage caused by Hurricane Melissa
The death toll from Hurricane Melissa rose to more than 50 on Friday, days after the storm battered the Caribbean and left a trail of destruction in its wake.
On Friday, with improved weather conditions, rescue teams are working to reach the most affected areas.
Melissa, who became a post-tropical cyclone on Friday after being the most powerful hurricane of the current Atlantic season, has caused catastrophic damage to homes and critical infrastructure that is still being assessed.
According to the report from Haiti's Civil Protection Directorate (DPC), at least 31 people have died and 21 remain missing due to the rains and floods.
The highest number of victims, at least 23, including 10 children, was recorded in Petit-Goave, at the southern entrance to Port-au-Prince, due to flooding caused by the rising waters of the La Digue River.
In Jamaica, the Minister of Education and Information, Dana Morris Dixon, indicated that there are 19 confirmed deaths but that they have "quite credible reports" that the number could be higher.
Morris Dixon detailed that it is possible that there may be at least four bodies in Westmoreland need to be recovered, and one in Saint Elizabeth, both districts in the west of the island. “The devastation in the west is unimaginable,” the minister said at a press conference. The hurricane, which reached Category 5, also caused one more death in the Dominican Republic. No deaths were reported in Cuba after Civil Defense evacuated more than 735,000 people in the east of the country ahead of the storm. Residents began gradually returning to their homes on Thursday. The town of El Cobre, in the eastern province of Santiago de Cuba, was one of the hardest hit. With a population of approximately 7,000, it is home to the Basilica of Our Lady of Charity, patron saint of Cuba, deeply venerated by Catholics and practitioners of Santeria, an Afro-Cuban religion.
Arrival of Humanitarian Aid
Secretary of State Marco Rubio activated the State Department's Disaster Relief and Assistance Team (DART) on Wednesday to assist Jamaica, Cuba, the Bahamas, and Haiti in their recovery efforts, a State Department spokesperson, Tommy Pigott, announced in a statement Thursday.
About 20 cargo plans carrying humanitarian aid arrived in Jamaica today, in addition to the 13 that arrived the previous day at Norman Manley International Airport.
“The difficult part is the logistics of getting this aid to these areas in the shortest possible time, and we are practically out of time due to the desperation of the population,” acknowledged Jamaican Minister of Energy, Telecommunications, and Transportation, Daryl Vaz.
To support the logistics, between eight and ten large US government helicopters are en route, which, according to Vaz, have “the capacity to transport and treat patients and to carry many supplies of "Aid."
The leader of the International Federation of Red Cross and Red Crescent Societies (IFRC) delegation for the English- and Dutch-speaking Caribbean, Necephor Mghendi, stated today that Jamaican families "who have lost everything" in the wake of Melissa "will take years to recover."
More than 6,000 people are in evacuation centers in western Jamaica alone, the area hardest hit by the rains and flooding.
Emergency Measures
Haiti's Presidential Transitional Council (CPT) promised this Friday that, together with Prime Minister Alix Didier Fils-Aime, it will adopt "urgent" measures to assist those affected.
In a statement, the CPT assured that "aid is being sent to local communities," reiterated its solidarity with the families of the victims, as well as the State's "determination" to "support all citizens." affected by this tragedy,” especially in vulnerable areas.
For its part, the Jamaican government has established several committees to address this crisis, the main one being the Assistance and Recovery Committee.
More than 60% of the population remains without electricity and telephone service is limited, which, combined with the blockage of numerous roads, complicates communication with isolated communities.
According to the US National Hurricane Center (NHC), Melissa is moving away from land, but storm surges will continue to affect the northeastern coast of the US and Atlantic Canada, as well as the Bahamas, Bermuda, and the Turks and Caicos Islands, for two days.