According to Imperial College London, the strength and destructive power of the phenomenon were intensified by climate change caused by human activity.
Melissa, the worst Atlantic hurricane in almost a century, left at least 30 people dead in by 19 in addition to devastating parts of as it advanced through the Caribbean towards Bermuda on Thursday (30). Flooding is expected to ease in the Bahamas, which has lifted its hurricane warning, although it may persist in Cuba, Jamaica, Haiti and the Dominican Republic, the US National Hurricane Center (NHC) said. “Conditions in Bermuda will deteriorate rapidly this evening,” the NHC said, referring to Melissa’s arrival at the archipelago in the Atlantic Ocean with maximum sustained winds approaching 165 km/h.
The strength and destructive power of this hurricane were intensified due to climate change caused by human activity, according to an analysis by Imperial College London. In Haiti, which was not directly hit by the hurricane but is suffering from heavy rains, at least 30 people, including ten children, died and 20 are missing, according to a new official report released on Thursday. The majority of deaths (23) were caused by flash floods in the southwest of the country.
In Jamaica, “the confirmed death toll from Hurricane Melissa now stands at 19,” Information Minister Dana Morris Dixon told reporters. Meanwhile, Melissa’s devastating passage on Wednesday worsened an already difficult situation in Cuba, due to the serious economic crisis that has plagued the island for five years. In Santiago de Cuba, the country’s second largest city, the storm caused parts of houses to collapse and roofs to be destroyed. The city was left without electricity and many high voltage transmission lines fell to the ground. Cuban authorities reported that around 735,000 people were displaced, mainly in the provinces of Santiago de Cuba, Holguín and Guantánamo.
“Immediate humanitarian aid”
Cuban President Miguel Díaz-Canel, who traveled to the province of Holguín, one of the hardest hit, declared that the hurricane caused “extensive damage” but no fatalities. The government of under the presidency of Donald Trump, reported having sent rescue and response teams to Jamaica, Haiti, the Dominican Republic and the Bahamas, and offered help to Cuba, its historic ideological rival.
“The United States is prepared to provide immediate humanitarian aid” to the “courageous Cuban people”, declared the American Secretary of State, Marco Rubio, on the X network. Venezuelan Foreign Minister, Yván Gil, announced the sending of 26 tons of humanitarian aid to Cuba.
O promised approximately 3.3 million dollars (17.7 million reais) in emergency aid for the region and announced that it will provide flights to facilitate the departure of British citizens from Jamaica. “El Salvador will send three planes with humanitarian aid to Jamaica tomorrow,” declared Salvadoran President Nayib Bukele on the X network.
*With information from AFP
