On Wednesday, the 29th, a category five hurricane, named Melissa, struck the west side of Jamaica at 185 mph. The massive amount of rainfall and vigorous winds caused massive damage to the island country. This dangerous storm was deemed one of the worst storms Jamaica has ever endured.
As of November 2nd, 28 people in Jamaica have been confirmed killed due to the hurricane. With most of the country being without electricity and phone service, it is unknown how many people died in certain areas of the country, especially with the Western half of Jamaica being cut off from the rest of the island due to washed-out roads and fallen trees. Rescue teams and organizations such as the Red Cross are currently still working their way through the country, looking for survivors.
“The devastation is unimaginable”, said Daryl Vaz, Jamaica’s transport minister, “Every hour lost is an hour lost and we don’t have the time.”
In nearby Haiti, thirty people were killed by flooding due to the storm, despite it not even reaching their shores directly. Hurricane Melissa also hit Cuba as a category two cyclone, causing widespread flooding across the country along with landslides. Around 735,000 people were evacuated from the country after meteorologists predicted the hurricane would wreak heavy damage on the city of Santiago de Cuba, which is the second-largest city in the country.
Aid is still coming, but these Caribbean countries need everything they can get and more. The devastation that this hurricane brought is widespread and will be felt for an incredibly long time in these countries.
