The death toll from Hurricane Melissa has reached at least 49 across several Caribbean nations, officials reported Friday, as rescue teams continue to search for the missing in areas affected by high winds and flooding. Authorities in Haiti have confirmed the highest number of fatalities, while Jamaica and the Dominican Republic also reported deaths after the storm moved through the region.
Haitian officials announced Thursday that at least 30 people have died and 20 others remain missing. The country was not in the hurricane’s direct path but experienced days of heavy rainfall that led to widespread flooding, according to local reports.
In Jamaica, officials reported 19 deaths, according to the Reuters news agency. The Dominican Republic’s government confirmed one death before the storm made landfall elsewhere.
Hurricane Melissa struck the western coast of Jamaica on Tuesday as a Category 5 storm, the U.S. National Hurricane Center (NHC) reported. The agency recorded maximum sustained winds of 295 kph (183 mph) at landfall. Jamaican government officials described the impact on the western side of the island as “devastation.”
After passing Jamaica, Melissa was downgraded to a Category 3 hurricane before it moved over Cuba. It then continued on a path past the Bahamas on Wednesday evening. As of Friday, the NHC reported the storm was moving toward Bermuda.
Damage assessments and recovery efforts are underway across the affected islands. Hundreds of thousands of residents remain without electricity. Reuters reported that 70 percent of Jamaica’s electricity customers were without power as of Thursday. Local authorities are working to clear debris, including downed trees and power lines.
The United Nations is evaluating the extent of the damage. UN Resident Coordinator Dennis Zulu said that preliminary assessments in Jamaica suggest a level of destruction “never seen before” on the island.
In response to the storm, the U.S. State Department announced Thursday that a Disaster Assistance Response Team has been deployed to assist Jamaica, Haiti, the Bahamas, and Cuba.
No fatalities have been reported in Cuba, though the eastern part of the country was affected by strong winds, according to Reuters.
AccuWeather, a U.S.-based weather forecasting company, issued a preliminary estimate for the total damage and economic loss from Hurricane Melissa, placing the figure in a range from $48 billion to $52 billion.
