People across the northern Caribbean are beginning to dig out from the destruction of Hurricane Melissa as deaths from the catastrophic storm climbed to at least 28 across Haiti, Jamaica and the Dominican Republic, with Haiti reporting most of those fatalities. On Thursday, Melissa was moving away from the Bahamas and had turned toward Bermuda, where weather conditions were expected to “rapidly deteriorate” later in the day, according to the National Hurricane Center.
President Trump has directed the State Department “to mobilize support for affected communities” in Jamaica, the bahamas, Cuba, Haiti, and turks and Caicos in the aftermath of the hurricane, the department said in an announcement on Thursday. The announcement said it would also be monitoring the situation in Bermuda.”The State Department is collaborating with UN agencies, NGOs, and host governments to deliver food, water, medical supplies, hygiene kits, temporary shelter, and search and rescue support,” the announcement said.
In Jamaica, the rumble of large machinery, whine of chainsaws and chopping of machetes echoed throughout the southeast as government workers and residents began clearing roads in a push to reach isolated communities that sustained a direct hit from one of the most powerful Atlantic storms on record.
Stunned residents wandered about, some staring at their roofless homes and waterlogged belongings strewn around them.emergency relief flights began landing at Jamaica’s main international airport, which reopened late Wednesday, as crews distributed water, food and other basic supplies.
“The devastation is enormous,” Jamaican Transportation Minister Daryl Vaz said.
At a news conference Thursday morning, Vaz and other officials spoke about some of the lingering consequences of the hurricane for communities in Jamaica.
“There are people who still have not been able to make contact with their families, their loved ones, their friends, and road access is still impossible,” Vaz told reporters, referencing isolated areas on the western side of the island that responders have not yet been able to reach. “So, you can imagine the deep, deep sense of worry that is widespread across Jamaica.”
Cuba Cleanup Begins
In Cuba, people began to clear blocked roads and highways with heavy equipment and even enlisted the help of the military, which rescued people trapped in isolated communities and at risk from landslides.
No fatalities were reported after the civil Defense evacuated more than 735,000 people across eastern Cuba. They were slowly starting to return home.
“We are cleaning the streets, clearing the way,” said Yaima Almenares, a physical education teacher from the city of Santiago, as she and other neighbors swept branches and debris from sidewalks and avenues, cutting down fallen tree trunks and removing accumulated trash.
In the more rural areas outside the city of Santiago de cuba, water remained accumulated in vulnerable homes on Wednesday night as residents returned from their shelters to save beds, mattresses, chairs, tables and fans they had elevated ahead of the storm.
A televised Civil Defense meeting chaired 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 losses of roofs,power lines,fiber optic telecommunications cables,cut roads,isolated communities and losses of banana,cassava and coffee plantations.
Officials said the rain was beneficial for the reservoirs and for easing a severe drought in eastern Cuba.
Many communities were still without electricity,internet and telephone service due to downed transformers and power lines.
U.S. Secretary of State Marco Rubio said Thursday in a statement that the State Department would issue a declaration of humanitarian assistance.