Roma, 29 Oct. (askanews) – Roads still flooded, roofs torn off, damage after the passage of Hurricane Melissa in Jamaica. In the images released by the police you can see difficult rescue efforts in a scenario of devastation.
It made landfall as one of the most powerful hurricanes ever recorded in the Caribbean, with winds of up to 300 kilometers per hour. Then heading toward Cuba, it was downgraded from 5 to a Category 4 hurricane and shortly thereafter to a Category 3 storm.
The devastation of Hurricane Melissa
But in its passage so far it has caused 7 deaths, three in Jamaica, three in Haiti and one in the Dominican Republic. Over 530,000 people have been left without electricity and Jamaica’s infrastructure is “severely compromised”, authorities say, with four hospitals in difficulty due to blackouts.
The Cuban authorities have ordered the displacement of over 700,000 people and meteorologists predict storm surges of up to 3.6 meters and torrential rains of up to 50 centimeters with a high risk of landslides and floods. Then Melissa will move to the Bahamas.
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