The death toll from Hurricane Melissa in Jamaica has climbed to 45, with 15 individuals still unaccounted for.
Authorities anticipate the number of casualties to increase as they struggle to access two isolated towns since the devastating Category 5 hurricane struck western Jamaica on October 28.
According to Alvin Gayle, the director general of Jamaica’s emergency management office, helicopters have been deployed to deliver essential supplies such as food to the affected communities.
Gayle reported that the hurricane has displaced 30,000 households, leaving 1,100 people in 88 operational emergency shelters.
Farhan Haq, deputy spokesperson for the UN, expressed significant concerns regarding shelter, noting that 40,000 tarpaulins have yet to be distributed due to impassable roads.
Gayle added that nearly 36 roads remain obstructed as crews work tirelessly to clear debris and restore access.
Officials noted that 50 per cent of customers have mobile service, and more than 70 per cent of customers now have water.
Meanwhile, crews have restored power to more than 60 per cent of customers.
“This is a solid milestone given the scale of destruction,” president of Jamaica’s power company, Hugh Grant, said.
He noted that power was restored on Tuesday to Montego Bay’s international airport.
Hurricane Melissa was one of the strongest Atlantic hurricanes on record.
It shredded Jamaica’s western region and then made landfall in eastern Cuba, where it destroyed homes and crops.
Haq said that more than 54,000 people in Cuba have been unable to return to their homes, including 7500 living in official shelters.
He noted that the number of affected health facilities has increased from 460 to more than 600, while the number of damaged homes has climbed from 60,000 to 90,000.
The storm also unleashed heavy flooding in south-western Haiti, where it was blamed for at least 43 deaths.
Petit Goâve was among the hardest hit communities in that region, where officials with the UN’s World Food Program were distributing food to more than 40,000 people.
Aid has been pouring into the three nations as people struggle to recover from the storm.
On Monday, the US government announced an additional $US10 million in funds for Jamaica and another $US2.5 million for Haiti, for a total of nearly $US37 million for the nations affected, including Cuba and the Bahamas.
