Hurricane Melissa’s Impact on the Caribbean and Bermuda
Hurricane Melissa, the worst Atlantic hurricane in nearly a century, was approaching debilitated but still dangerous Bermuda on Thursday after wreaking havoc in the Caribbean, leaving at least 24 dead in Haiti and parts of Cuba and Jamaica in ruins.
According to the National Hurricane Center (NHC) of the United States, flooding is expected to decrease in the Bahamas throughout Thursday, though it may persist in Cuba, Jamaica, Haiti, and the Dominican Republic.
The NHC reported that conditions in Bermuda would rapidly deteriorate Thursday afternoon and night as Melissa, with sustained winds of 165 km/h, approached the Atlantic island archipelago.
Meanwhile, the Bahamas lifted its hurricane watch.
Melissa struck Jamaica on Tuesday and Cuba on Wednesday with immense force.
“This cyclone has killed us because it has left us devastated,” Felicia Correa, a 65-year-old resident of La Trampa, about 20 kilometers east of Santiago de Cuba, told AFP. “We were already going through terrible hardship. Now, of course, we are much worse off,” she added.
In El Cobre, near La Trampa, the sound of hammers can be heard as people attempt to repair their roofs with help from friends or neighbors, according to AFP.
Economic Challenges Exacerbated
Melissa’s passage has worsened an already difficult socioeconomic situation due to Cuba’s severe economic crisis over the past five years.
Marvelia, a worker at a subsidized food store in Cuba, stated, “It’s going to be difficult until they give what they have to give, because the state always helps.”
Many access points for communication and transportation remain disrupted. A comprehensive damage assessment could take days.
“Immediate Humanitarian Assistance”
Cuban authorities reported that approximately 735,000 people were evacuated, particularly in the provinces of Santiago de Cuba, Holguín, and Guantánamo.
Cuban President Miguel Díaz-Canel traveled to Holguín, one of the most affected provinces by flooding.
The United States informed that it was in contact with the governments of Jamaica, Haiti, the Dominican Republic, and the Bahamas. U.S. Secretary of State Marco Rubio stated that rescue and response teams were en route.
Rubio later included Cuba, its historical ideological rival, stating that the United States is “prepared to offer immediate humanitarian assistance to the Cuban people affected by the hurricane.”
Venezuelan Foreign Minister Yván Gil announced the shipment of 26 tons of humanitarian aid to Cuba to support recovery efforts.
The United Kingdom announced an emergency aid package of approximately $3.3 million for the region and informed that it would make flights available to facilitate the departure of British citizens from Jamaica.
Devastating Force
At least 30 people have died in the region due to Melissa’s passage, some while protecting their homes before its arrival.
Gregoire Goodstein, the interim UN humanitarian coordinator for Haiti, reported that the death toll in Haiti had risen to 24.
Earlier, protection civil agency director Emmanuel Pierre stated that at least 10 children had died due to the flooding.
Melissa’s power surpassed that of some hurricanes like Katrina, which devastated New Orleans in 2005. In Jamaica, it made landfall on Tuesday with sustained winds of around 300 km/h, making it the most powerful to hit the island in 90 years, according to an AFP analysis of NOAA data.
The so-called Labor Day hurricane destroyed the Florida Keys in 1935 with winds near 300 km/h and a atmospheric pressure of 892 millibars.
Jamaica’s Prime Minister Andrew Holness declared the country a “disaster zone.”
The devastation caused by Melissa in Jamaica has reached “unprecedented levels,” declared a UN official on-site Wednesday.
Scientists assert that human-induced climate change has intensified large storms and increased their frequency.
