Jamaica, Hurricane Melissa
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Hurricane Melissa brought hurricane-force gusts to Bermuda overnight and will weaken as it heads north, the U.S. National Hurricane Center said. Maps show its forecast path.
The Jamaican authorities said they were not able to confirm the death toll from the storm yet, but expected it to rise in the coming days. At least 30 people died in Haiti, officials said.
Dozens of U.S. military personnel are bringing medical supplies and emergency gear after Hurricane Melissa killed at least 19 on Jamaica.
As Jamaicans begin to pick up the pieces after category 5 Hurricane Melissa violently tore across the country, vacationers stranded at the Riu Montego Bay Resort are hassling staff over what they feel are “disrespectful” accommodations.
The Caribbean storm — among the most powerful in history, with 185 mph winds — is expected to bring flash-flooding and landslides as it slowly moves across the island and heads north toward Cuba.
Melissa was the most powerful storm ever to directly hit Jamaica, and the first major hurricane to do so since 1988. U.S. forecaster AccuWeather estimated $48 billion to $52 billion in damage and economic loss across the western Caribbean.
Hurricane Melissa, a powerful and slow-moving storm, wreaked havoc on Jamaica and Cuba as it passed over the islands Tuesday and Wednesday. In Santiago de Cuba, Reinaldo Charon was one of the few people who went outside on Wednesday morning after Hurricane Melissa tore through the eastern part of the island.