At least twenty-two have died as Hurricane Melissa hits Cuba, Haiti – National

The devastating effects of Hurricane Melissa continue to be felt after the record storm, which first hit Jamaica, left more than a dozen people dead and 18 in the Caribbean, according to the Caribbean.

The Category 5 storm, with winds approaching 300 kilometers per hour, made landfall in Jamaica on Tuesday, where power lines are in full swing before moving further east.

Despite weakening between hitting Jamaica on Tuesday and arriving in Cuba on Wednesday, the storm ripped through roofs and destroyed homes in the country’s second-largest city, Santiago de Cuba, leaving mountain roads closed.

The greatest destruction was concentrated in the southwest and northwest of the island, AP reported.

“That was hell. The whole night, it was worse,” Reilon SAntungo de Cuba told the Outlet.

Data from the office of the UN Aid Co-OUstination (OCHA) found that Melissa ranks among the biggest hurricanes to hit Cuba in decades, when it reaches curtains of 222 km / h and rain that exceeds 142 meters in four hours.

Meanwhile, in Haiti, at least 25 people have died and 18 are missing as a result of the storm, the country’s defense ministry said in a statement on Wednesday, according to AP.

Twenty of those reported in Haiti and 10 of the missing are from a city on the southern coast where floods destroyed many homes.

At least eight died in Jamaica, according to the AP.

In the district of St. Elizabeth, the police are serious. Coleridge Minto told a national network on Wednesday that authorities found at least four bodies in southwest Jamaica.

There was one study in the west where a tree fell on a child, Provincial Minister Abka Firez-Henley told a national news network.

As of Thursday, more than 13,000 people were on the shelves, according to officials.

However, it is too early to determine the extent of the damage due to power outages and dangerous conditions persisting in the region, Dana Morris Dixon, Jamaica’s Minister of Education, said.

“The return to recovery will take time, but the government was completely put together,” Prime Minister Holvener told the AP in a statement.

“Relief supplies are being prepared, and we are doing everything we can to restore normalcy.”

The Black River, in the Southwestern region of St. Elizabeth, is suffering a “disaster”, according to its Mayor, said Richard Solomon, who said that is what is being looked into. “

Parish emergency services were unable to respond to calls due to the demolition of its infrastructure, Solomon explained. However, help is on the way.

Jamaican Transport Minister Daryl Vaz said the two airports would be open on Wednesday for emergency relief flights only, as UN and international governments began flying to the areas.

“It means” destruction, “said Vaz. “We need all hands on deck to regain strength and help those who need help at this time.”

On Wednesday, the UN donated US$4 million each to Haiti and Cuba in its central emergency fund.

On Thursday, Secretary of State Marco Rubio announced on X that the US is sending emergency response teams to help with rescue efforts in the Caribbean, including Cuba.

Experts say Melissa, now a Category 2 hurricane, is expected to bring dangerous winds, flooding and storm surge to the Bahamas on Thursday, followed by Bermuda.

Before the fall of the world, Melissa had been blamed for the deaths of three people in Jamaica, three in Haiti and one in the Dominican Republic.

– With files from the accompanying media

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