Jamaica's Death Toll Mounts as Hurricane Melissa Heads Towards Bermuda
The Caribbean nation's capital, Kingston, narrowly escaped the worst of the storm but has still been battered by powerful winds and flooding, with many areas left underwater and power lines down. The official death toll stands at 19, with search and rescue efforts ongoing for those who remain unaccounted for.
As Hurricane Melissa makes its way towards Bermuda, officials are bracing themselves for impact, with the island's main international airport having reopened to facilitate flights carrying critical aid. Meanwhile, in Haiti, 25 people, including 10 children, lost their lives when a river overflowed its banks, leaving residents and authorities reeling.
The British government has pledged support to Jamaica, chartering flights for British nationals who were unable to leave commercially. The scale of the destruction is estimated to be in the billions, with accurate forecasting and government advice helping to minimize casualties.
In eastern Cuba, where the storm passed over on Wednesday, officials have evacuated 735,000 people from their homes as it approaches. Despite this, no official estimate of damage or deaths has been reported.
The Bahamas, which Melissa has now passed through, saw its largest evacuation operation in recent history, with nearly 1,500 people flown out to safety. The storm is still carrying powerful winds, but has downgraded to a category 2 hurricane and is expected to weaken significantly by Friday.
As Bermuda prepares for the storm's arrival, officials are urging residents to take precautions, expecting significant weakening on Friday.
The Caribbean nation's capital, Kingston, narrowly escaped the worst of the storm but has still been battered by powerful winds and flooding, with many areas left underwater and power lines down. The official death toll stands at 19, with search and rescue efforts ongoing for those who remain unaccounted for.
As Hurricane Melissa makes its way towards Bermuda, officials are bracing themselves for impact, with the island's main international airport having reopened to facilitate flights carrying critical aid. Meanwhile, in Haiti, 25 people, including 10 children, lost their lives when a river overflowed its banks, leaving residents and authorities reeling.
The British government has pledged support to Jamaica, chartering flights for British nationals who were unable to leave commercially. The scale of the destruction is estimated to be in the billions, with accurate forecasting and government advice helping to minimize casualties.
In eastern Cuba, where the storm passed over on Wednesday, officials have evacuated 735,000 people from their homes as it approaches. Despite this, no official estimate of damage or deaths has been reported.
The Bahamas, which Melissa has now passed through, saw its largest evacuation operation in recent history, with nearly 1,500 people flown out to safety. The storm is still carrying powerful winds, but has downgraded to a category 2 hurricane and is expected to weaken significantly by Friday.
As Bermuda prepares for the storm's arrival, officials are urging residents to take precautions, expecting significant weakening on Friday.
Jamaica is getting smashed and now people are dyin' left and right... 19 already? That's crazy! And Bermuda, oh man, they're gettin' ready for impact 
. How can one storm cause so much destruction?! It's like the end of the world 
. I'm just glad some Brits got flown out safely, but 25 people in Haiti... that's just too much 
. The Bahamas evacuated thousands, talk about bein' prepared! But still, I hope Bermuda gets through this with minimal damage 
. I mean, how are they gonna fix all this? Billion-dollar damage and nothin' to show for it... what a waste 
... I mean, can you even imagine the amount of lives lost already? 19 in Jamaica and 25 more in Haiti, that's just devastating. And the scale of destruction is mind-boggling - billions of dollars worth of damage and loss of homes and livelihoods.
only time will tell if that's true. Anyway, I hope all these countries get the help & support they need 
this is getting crazy, another country hit by a hurricane, can't even go outside without risking your life in jamaica 19 dead and many more missing, and it's not just them, cuba evacuated like 735k people, what's next? 
I don't get why everyone's so quick to jump on this one... Jamaica got hit hard, yeah, but 19 people dying? It's not like they're getting a free pass or anything. They need help, and the Brits are stepping up with charter flights for their nationals. That's a good thing! 
I mean, what about all those people in Cuba who got evacuated from their homes? That takes some serious bravery, if you ask me... 735k people on the move? It's crazy! 
The thought of so many people losing their homes, loved ones and livelihoods is just devastating. It's like, what can you do when nature decides to unleash its fury? 
And it's amazing to see how quickly communities can come together in times of crisis, sharing what little they have and offering support.
So let's hope that everyone affected by these hurricanes will find some sense of peace and rebuilding soon. 
. And what's with everyone hating on Bermuda? They got their airport open and all, trying to help people get out safely 
. Meanwhile in Cuba, 735k ppl were evacuated... that's some next level crisis management. Can't we just talk about how we can support each other instead of blaming one country for another? 
19 deaths and it could've been so much worse if they'd just been more prepared 
Kingston is basically a war zone right now, flooding everywhere and power lines down all over the place. And don't even get me started on Haiti, losing 25 lives because of a river bursting its banks... my heart is literally breaking 
The British government just chartering flights for their nationals, that's not exactly a heroic act... I mean where's the help for everyone else? 
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. And have you seen the evacuation numbers in Cuba and the Bahamas? That's just crazy! They must be hiding something, you know? The numbers don't add up 
. Can't we have a decent table or something to make it easier to scan? It's like they're just throwing a bunch of paragraphs at us with no regard for readability.
. And don't even get me started on the thread titles... "Hurricane Melissa" just isn't descriptive enough for this complex story 
. Anyway, 19 deaths in Jamaica? That's just devastating. And now Bermuda's getting hit too... the Bahamas evacuation was crazy! 
The good news is that it might weaken soon, but I'm sure there's still going to be some major damage done 
. Here's hoping everyone stays safe and dry!