This Category 5 hurricane, the strongest to hit Jamaica directly, swept through the islands on Tuesday and Wednesday, resulting in at least 25 fatalities in Haiti, eight in Jamaica, and one in the Dominican Republic.
By Asaye Bankole
The northern Caribbean is still grappling with the aftermath of Hurricane Melissa, which has left a trail of destruction and claimed dozens of lives in Jamaica, Cuba, and Haiti.
This Category 5 hurricane, the strongest to hit Jamaica directly, swept through the islands on Tuesday and Wednesday, resulting in at least 25 fatalities in Haiti, eight in Jamaica, and one in the Dominican Republic.
The National Hurricane Center in the US says Hurricane Melissa’s eye is expected to move away from the southeastern and central Bahamas, passing west of Bermuda.
Although downgraded to a Category 1 storm, the lowest on the Saffir-Simpson scale, Melissa still packs winds of 155km/h (100mph) with higher gusts. In Haiti, around 12,000 people remain in emergency shelters as families deal with rising death tolls.
Twenty people were reported dead in Petit-Goave, a southern coastal town, where a river burst its banks and collapsed dozens of homes.
The United States and the United Kingdom have promised their support.
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