Melissa leaves 50 dead, toll expected to rise in Jamaica, Haiti

After enduring days of abuse in Jamaica, Haiti, and Cuba, Hurricane Melissa has finally left the Caribbean, leaving behind a trail of devastation that has claimed the lives of about 50 people.

Residents of Jamaica were weighing their losses and the lengthy road to recovery on Friday as a result of the hurricane’s powerful force that it had smashed into the country on Tuesday as a Category 5 storm.

Nearly half of Jamaica’s water systems are offline, and more than 60% of the country is still without power.

Up to 90% of all structures in the historic seaside town of Black River, southwest of Jamaica, were left without roofs, and the storm also shattered power lines and toppled concrete structures.

As she watched a bag of groceries and household items for herself and a group of Greenfield residents, one of the many black-river communities that have been devastated by Hurricane Ike, “People are hungry,” said Monique Powell, “People are hungry.”

Michelle Barnes and her 13-year-old daughter were distributing their portion of handouts from neighborhood food stores, many of which had soaked and damaged and were now water-soaked.

According to a study conducted by Imperial College London, climate change contributed four times to the magnitude of the storm, one of the most powerful ever recorded.

Death trail

Authorities had “quite credible” reports of a potential five additional deaths, but had not yet been able to confirm, according to Jamaica’s Information Minister Dana Morris Dixon, who spoke at a briefing.

Although we’re only 19 confirmed, she said, “we do anticipate that to change today.”

Authorities in the nearby Haiti reported 21 missing and at least 31 fatalities, primarily in the southern region of the nation. More than 15 800 people were still in shelters.

More than 735, 000 people were evacuated from Cuba on Friday, but no deaths were reported. Dangerous flooding persisted in some areas on Friday as a result of the civil defense’s efforts to stop the island’s eastern region.

Climate finance and disaster bonds

Jamaica’s recovery costs are unknown, but the Caribbean nation has already made money available for disaster response, including through a special bond deal with the World Bank.

According to Dixon, the bond, which was issued in 2024, provides $150 million in financial security for Jamaica during the four hurricane seasons.

She stated on Friday that Hurricane Melissa had triggered this bond, which provides payouts in the event of natural disasters until 2027.

Jamaica is one of the many nations that is pressing wealthy countries to increase climate financing to cover the costs of climate-induced disasters.

In addition, Jamaica’s Minister of Science, Energy, and Technology, Andrew Wheatley, praised the country’s “deep appreciation of the global outpouring of support” following Melissa, but urged potential donors to be cautious of scams and to use the official government portal for donations.

Cuba rescues stranded residents who have been flooded.

In response to Melissa, Cuba was attempting to rescue residents who were still stranded by previously inaccessible floodwaters on Friday.

Around 380mm (15 inches) of rain fell on some areas of the island’s eastern end shortly after the Hurricane struck Cuba as a risky Category 3 hurricane.

Residents of the country’s longest river were rescued from the still-rising waters on Friday by emergency workers wad waist-deep in wetsuits and used military vehicles and boats.

Eduardo Verdecia, 83, a resident of Rio Cauto, claimed that while expected, the river would still be flowing. However, the persistent rains, runoff from nearby mountains, and a rapidly expanding reservoir, had surprised them.

Source: Aljazeera