Hurricane Melissa live: Bahamas soon to be hit, death toll revised upwards

END OF LIVE COVERAGE - Following Hurricane Melissa, the Jamaican Minister of Transport announced the reopening of major airports. The capital's airport, Norman Manley International Airport, will initially reopen only to humanitarian flights. Then, on Thursday morning, like Ian Fleming International Airport, it will reopen to commercial flights. Sangster International Airport is expected to reopen Thursday mid-morning, but initially only to relief flights.

As it heads towards the Bahamas, Hurricane Melissa was downgraded to a Category 1 storm Wednesday evening. Winds are still reaching 145 km/h. After hitting the southeastern or central Bahamas, the storm is expected to move towards western Bermuda late Thursday.

While Jamaica initially stated it was unable to provide a death toll due to widespread power outages and disrupted communications, Jamaican Minister of Local Government and Community Development Desmond McKenzie issued a statement Wednesday evening reporting at least four deaths in the St. Elizabeth area following Hurricane Melissa. The victims were three men and one woman. "They were discovered after being swept away by the floodwaters caused by the hurricane."

Speaking to BBC News, the Jamaican Prime Minister lamented the particularly extensive damage in the south of the island. Between 80% and 90% of roofs were torn off; hospitals, police stations, libraries—no building was spared by Hurricane Melissa. Some local infrastructure was completely razed, he stated. St. Elizabeth, Hanover, Santiago, and parts of Manchester were heavily affected, but the town of Black River is "completely destroyed," he indicated. The current objective is to restore power everywhere, which could still take several days, or even weeks in the most affected areas.

On X, Jamaican Prime Minister Andrew Holness released a video showing footage taken from a helicopter. It depicts the devastated Jamaican landscape after Hurricane Melissa. The numerous roofs torn off attest to the force of the storm.

While a previous report indicated 20 deaths, including 10 children in Haiti, the Associated Press is now reporting 40 deaths, according to an official from Haiti's Civil Protection Agency. The Caribbean nation experienced flash floods following Hurricane Melissa.

According to the latest bulletin from the NHC, the core of Melissa is expected to "move toward the southeastern or central Bahamas this afternoon and evening, and pass near or close to Bermuda late Thursday and into the night from Thursday to Friday." "Maximum sustained winds are around 155 km/h, with higher gusts." The agency warns that "slight strengthening is possible today and tomorrow."

The damage caused by Hurricane Melissa in Jamaica is "unprecedented," said Kingston Dennis Zulu, the UN coordinator for several Caribbean countries, including Jamaica. "From what we know so far, there has been immense, unprecedented destruction of infrastructure, property, roads, communication networks, and power," he stated. "People are in shelters across the country, and at the moment, our preliminary assessments show that the country has been devastated to levels never seen before," he added. Regarding the number of people affected, he mentioned an initial estimate of approximately one million.

While the death toll from Hurricane Melissa has been reported for Haiti, the Jamaican government has not yet released any official information regarding the number of victims. Authorities have stated that they are unable to provide an official death toll at this time. Minister of Local Government and Community Development Desmond McKenzie indicated at a press conference: "We have not received any alerts regarding possible deaths so far. Therefore, we cannot assume that there are any fatalities."

The death toll from Hurricane Melissa in Haiti has reached at least 20, including 10 children, and 10 people are still missing, according to the country's Civil Protection Director General, Emmanuel Pierre, who provided the figures to AFP. He explained that searches are underway for those who were swept away by the floodwaters that destroyed homes in their path. Casualties have also been reported in Jamaica and the Dominican Republic.

The streets of Santiago de Cuba are completely flooded after the hurricane. Many homes are also flooded due to the intense rainfall accompanying the hurricane, as reported by several journalists from Agence France-Presse (AFP) on the ground. No information has yet been released regarding the human toll in Cuba.

An initial report indicates 10 deaths in Haiti following Hurricane Melissa, local authorities told AFP. Several people were swept away by floodwaters in the coastal town of Petit-Goâve (south), after the river overflowed its banks. Search operations are still underway in the area.

In Jamaica, the government has "lifted the tropical storm warning" for the territory, the NHC announced in its latest bulletin.

"Melissa continues to move over eastern Cuba and will soon emerge in the Southwest Atlantic, bringing destructive winds, torrential rains and a dangerous storm surge to Cuba and the Bahamas today," warns the National Hurricane Center, on X.

President Miguel Díaz-Canel Bermúdez stated that the past few hours have been "very difficult." "The damage is considerable, and Hurricane Melissa is still over Cuban territory. I urge our people to remain vigilant, maintain discipline, and stay safe and sheltered," the Cuban president said.

On Tuesday, the Haitian presidency declared Wednesday a "day of unemployment." As a result, administrative services, schools, and businesses will remain closed "in order to anticipate and limit the impacts of the hurricane." Port-au-Prince has "instructed the government, as well as municipal and police authorities, regarding the support to be provided to the population throughout the country," the statement specifies.

The US National Hurricane Center (NHC) is warning of "destructive winds and torrential rains" as Hurricane Melissa moves over eastern Cuba. Winds exceeding 200 km/h were also recorded by the agency on Wednesday, October 29.

Category 3 Hurricane Melissa – moving at an average speed of 19 km/h – is heading towards the Bahamas, the US National Hurricane Center announced. "According to forecasts, the center of Melissa is expected to cross eastern Cuba this morning, cross the southeastern or central Bahamas later today, and pass near or west of Bermuda Thursday evening," the NHC stated in its latest bulletin, issued at midday.

An initial estimate puts the damage in Jamaica at $22 billion. This estimate takes into account "damage to homes and businesses, disruption to trade, losses in tourism, impacts on maritime transport operations, financial losses due to power outages, and damage to infrastructure," explains experts from AccuWeather, an American company that provides weather forecasts to the press. This is more than the country's entire GDP in 2024.

The hurricane warning is now in effect for the southeastern and central Bahamas. The eye of the hurricane is expected to make landfall "later today," the NHC warns. Evacuation advisories for residents of the districts of Inagua, Acklins, Crooked Island, Mayaguana, and Ragged Island have already been in place for two days.