Hurricane Melissa has ripped the Caribbean apart this week and has killed at least 50 people. The storm tore down houses, led to the flooding of towns, power outages affecting close to half a million people. The worst damage occurs in Jamaica but also Haiti and Cuba are reported to be heavily damaged.
Jamaica Takes the Biggest Hit
On Tuesday, Melissa hit southwestern Jamaica as a Category 5 hurricane. A Category 5 is the most severe hurricane one can have. It was the strongest hurricane to hit Jamaica directly and the first time since 1988 that the hurricane winds affected the island. The impact is enormous. The damage all over the western Caribbean is estimated by the experts to be between 48 and 52 billion US dollars. Jamaica recorded at least 19 deaths and the officials are expecting to find the bodies in the course of their search. Lack of power is experienced by 462,000 households.
The government has started to distribute emergency food to people who have lost all their possessions. The Minister of Local Government, Desmond McKenzie visited the port of Falmouth and said that the situation was very ugly. The town hall got destroyed. The hospital was destroyed. The courthouse got destroyed. In short, most of the things that were of great importance to the town have disappeared almost completely there. Haiti and Cuba Also Suffer
Haiti and Cuba Also Suffer
Haiti was spared a direct hit but the slow-moving hurricane always dumped rain on the country. At least 31 people were killed and 20 are missing in Haiti. Out of all the tragedies in the southern town of Petit-Goave, where 23 people lost their lives, among them 10 children, the most horrible one was that. A river broke through its banks and took over the town. Drowned houses, flooded fields, and cut-off roads are just some of the results of the river’s assault on the town. The officials are very concerned about the possible outbreak situation of cholera which, being a waterborne disease, may spread due to the presence of a large amount of water in the area.
Hurricane Melissa was still a Category 3 hurricane when it hit Cuba, so it was a very strong hurricane. As of Friday, no deaths have been reported, but the storm has destroyed many homes, roads, and farms. Many people living in the eastern part of the island, close to Santiago de Cuba, which is the second-biggest city on the island, had to leave their homes. They evacuated to safer places before the arrival of the storm.
People Describe the Destruction
The World Food Programme sent a representative to investigate the devastation in Black River, Jamaica, which is a location close to where Melissa made landfall. Brian Bogart stated that the area looked like it had been hit by a bomb. People were still going around in a daze and did not know what to do. Aid flights loaded with food and supplies began coming to Jamaica on Thursday. To assist with the work of finding people, the army brought in more soldiers.
Pamella Foster is a resident of Black River. After returning, she found that her house had been demolished. The roof had been taken off. The windows and doors had been ripped away. Her kitchen had been blown away towards the sea. She stated that she was trying to be strong for her grandchildren, but the grieving was too much. She said it felt like her heart and stomach were breaking. However, she still said that they would find a way to live.
Researchers say that hurricanes such as Melissa are intensifying and happening more frequently due to the increase in ocean temperature. This is caused by the emission of greenhouse gases into the atmosphere. Many Caribbean leaders are demanding that rich countries which pollute a lot should either pay for the damage or write off the debts of the Caribbean countries. Eventually, on Friday morning, Melissa was very close to Iceland and the Faroe Islands. It had lost a lot of its power and was only a post-tropical cyclone.
News At Glance
- Hurricane Melissa led to at least 50 casualties in the areas of Jamaica, Haiti, and Cuba this week
- As a result, Jamaica experienced the highest number of deaths with 19 people losing their lives, 462,000 people being without electricity, and the damage estimated from 50 million to 52 billion
- Haiti had a death toll of 31 among which 10 children were swept away due to the flooding of the river in the town of Petit-Goave
- Although Cuba evacuated hundreds of thousands of people, there were no fatalities reported, however, the homes and the crops were damaged.
FAQs
1. How many people died due to Hurricane Melissa in the Caribbean?
Across Jamaica, Haiti, and Cuba, at least 50 people have died, and there are still possibilities of more bodies being found.
2. What Caribbean country was the hardest hit by Hurricane Melissa?
As the strongest hurricane to ever directly hit the island, Jamaica suffered the worst of the storm.
3. How much damage did Hurricane Melissa do in the Caribbean?
The experts put it as a figure between 48 and 52 billion dollars for the damage done and the economic loss in the region.
4. Are people in the Caribbean being rescued after Hurricane Melissa?
Yes, relief flights came with food and necessities on Thursday. Rescue and military operations are assisting the victims.
5. What makes the CPC hurricanes so strong and dangerous nowadays?
According to the scientists, the cause for this is the warming of ocean waters by greenhouse gases which makes storm intensification happen with higher frequency.
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