This Wednesday (29), Hurricane Melissa left more than 30 people dead in the Caribbean. The phenomenon reached Jamaica, Haiti and Cuba. Now, it heads towards the Bahamas, however, in a reduced category, marking level 2.
With gusts that reached almost 300 km/h and waves up to 4 meters high, Melissa went down in history as the most intense wave ever recorded in the Caribbean territory.
The Red Cross said around 1.5 million people were affected.
In Haiti, at least 25 people died in the coastal city of Petit-Goâve, in southern Haiti, after severe flooding caused by Hurricane Melissa, according to Mayor Jean Bertrand Subrème. The overflow of the La Digue River destroyed dozens of homes, leaving several people buried under the rubble on Wednesday morning.
Melissa hit Jamaica with winds of 298 km/h, the equivalent of a Category 5 storm. However, despite the damage, the capital Kingston escaped worse impacts, and authorities plan to open the city’s main airport next Thursday (30). In total, three people died in the country.
The hurricane later headed towards northern Cuba, where it was downgraded to category 3, however, it still caused damage. With winds reaching 193 km/h, Cuban authorities evacuated approximately 735,000 inhabitants in risk areas.
