Hurricane Melissa Death Toll Passes 50, Mostly in Jamaica and Haiti, as Focus Turns to Recovery

In the ruins of Black Riverwhere the Jamaican government has described as “Ground zero for Hurricane Melissa,” people are holding back relief.

“People are hungry,” Minique Powell said as she stood surveying the shops and household items and a group of residents from another nearby hurricane community.

Melissa came ashore just west of the Black River on Tuesday as One of the strongest Atlantic hurricanes on recordup to 90% of all structures in the city are left without roofs as they have uprooted Power Lines and destroyed concrete structures.

The storm was blamed for at least 51 deaths, especially in Haiti and Jamaica. It also hit Cuba Hard. Authorities say 19 people were killed in Jamaica, at least 31 in Haiti and at least one in the Dominican Republic.

Melissa was over the open waters of the Atlantic After the race Bermuda Early Friday, packing top winds of 90 mph, the US National Weather Service said. It was a post-heat storm late Friday morning, the agency said.

In Jamaica, helicopters soared over isolated communities, dropping food as teams rushed to reopen roads.

“You haven’t forgotten,” said Daryl Vaz, the transport minister.

Christopher Boxene, a restaurant owner in Kingston, Jamaica, noticed a big difference in how different parts of the island are growing.

“I just looked and we live like we live in two Jamaicas, you know, Jamaica, where most of the people will work in Kingston and their homes have little damage, and they have CBS News.

More than 7,000 people live on the shelves, 66% of the island without power and half of the nation’s water systems offline, officials said at a news conference Friday. People are touching money as long lines form at several gas stations and supermarkets are open in the affected areas.

Authorities said the dead in Jamaica included a child, and they expected the death toll to rise. In one community, residents urged officials to remove the victim’s body that had been hanged from a tree. On Thursday, dozens of US search experts and assistants arrived in Jamaica along with their dogs.

There is nothing wrong with dying but Cuba is far from saved

In Cuba, heavy machinery began to clear blocked roads and highways and the military helped rescue people trapped in isolated and endangered communities from the country.

No deaths were recorded after the Civil Defense evacuated more than 735,000 people across eastern Cuba ahead of the storm. Residents were starting to return home on Thursday.

The village of El Cobre in the eastern province of Santiago de Cuba was one of the hardest hit. Home to about 7,000 people, it is also the site of the basilica of Our Lady of Mercy, the Cuban Saint who is deeply revered by Catholics and practitioners of Santería, an Afro-Cuban religion.

“We’ve been through the worst. So much wind, so much wind. Some houses were torn down. It was a total disaster.

Even the basilica was hit.

“Here in the sanctuary, sculpting, stained glass, even Masonry was seriously damaged,” said Father Rogelio Deenda Puerta.

The meeting of the protected TeleVICS proposed by President Miguel Díaz-Canel did not provide an official estimate of the damage. However, officials from the affected provinces – Santiago, Granma, Holguín, Guantánamo and Las Tunas – reported roads, and severe loss of bananas, and loss of concrete.

Many communities were without electricity, Internet and phone service due to downed transformers and power lines.

In a rare statement on Thursday, the US State Department said Washington was “ready to help the Cuban people.” It said the US is “prepared to provide the most humanitarian aid directly and through local partners who can effectively deliver to those in need.”

The statement did not specify how the cooperation will be coordinated or the contact may have been made through the Cuban government, where it meets a bitter dispute involving the sixties on colds and finances.

Haiti Reeling

Melissa also revealed the catastrophic floods in Haiti, where at least 31 people have died and 21 are reported missing, especially in the southern region of the country. More than 15,000 people are living in shelters.

“It is a sad time for the country,” said Laurent Saint-Cyr, President of Haiti’s Transitional Council.

He said officials expect the death toll to rise and noted that the government is mobilizing resources to search for people and provide emergency assistance.

Haiti’s Fivil Protect agency said Hurricane Melissa killed at least 20 people, including 10 children, in Petit-GOââve, where more than 160 homes were destroyed.

Steven Guadard said Melissa killed her entire family in Petit-Goâve, including four children between the ages of 1 and 8.

Michet Dhégange, who lived in Petit-Goâave for three years, said Melissa left him homeless.

“There is no place to rest the body; we are hungry,” he said. “The authorities don’t think about us. I haven’t closed my eyes since the bad weather started.”