28 people have lost their lives in the destruction brought by Hurricane Melissa in the Caribbean. Hurricane Melissa is now passing through the Bahamas as a Category 1 hurricane after making landfall in Cuba this morning. Cuba suffered significant damage from the storm, and around 140,000 people were cut off by rising river levels. 

 

 

Melissa hit Jamaica yesterday as one of the strongest Atlantic hurricanes on record, causing major damage to public infrastructure and left most of the island without power. The full extent of the devastation is unclear, with some areas inaccessible. Jamaican Prime Minister Andrew Holness said the damage is “heartbreaking”, and one town he toured had been “completely destroyed”. But he added that the spirit of the population “remains unbroken”.

 

 

As many as 20 people died in Haiti after a river flooded by Melissa burst its banks, the local mayor said. Four bodies were recovered in Jamaica’s badly hit St. Elizabeth Parish, and another three died on the island during storm preparations. One person died in the Dominican Republic.