At least 20 people, including 10 children, have died and 10 are missing after a river overflowed in the south, authorities said, making the impoverished Caribbean country the worst hit by Hurricane Melissa in terms of death toll.
The prime minister of the island declared it a “disaster area” after the sweeping passage of , the strongest that ever hit the place.
The phenomenon has so far left behind dead people, entire cities under water, tens of thousands of residents trapped, houses in ruins and infrastructure destroyed.
Hurricane Melissa continues its advance, hitting Cuba in the last few hours, but having weakened significantly.
At least 30 dead in Haiti
According to the country’s civil defense service, 10 people are still missing.
It is recalled that today “catastrophic” floods and landslides are expected to occur in some areas of Haiti.
The Caribbean country is significantly less developed than its neighbors and is likely to suffer “extensive damage and isolation of communities”.
77% of Jamaica without electricity
The Minister of Education in Jamaica, Maurice Dixon, announced that 77% of the country remains without electricity.
The utility company will begin restoring power to areas where damage is minimal.
while other areas, including the capital, have suffered minimal damage.
The Prime Minister will visit the worst affected areas later today.
Water systems appear to have held up overnight, with the government estimating that 70 of Jamaica’s 700 water systems have been damaged.
To the Bahamas
The Bahamas is Melissa’s next destination, CNN warns.
The hurricane is forecast to pass between — or possibly over — Long Island and Crooked Island later this afternoon and evening.
Hurricane warnings have been issued for the central and southeastern Bahamas, while a tropical storm warning has been issued for the neighboring Turks and Caicos Islands.
“Unprecedented disaster”
The Red Cross said early indications were that Hurricane Melissa was an “unprecedented disaster”.
Alexander Pedrie, director of global response for the British Red Cross, said teams were waiting for dawn in Jamaica so they could assess the full extent of the damage.
“Information is already starting to come in that entire communities have been flooded and that the damage caused by the high winds is catastrophic,” Pedrie said.
