The confirmed death toll from Hurricane Melissa in Jamaica has risen to 45, with 15 more people reported missing, authorities said Tuesday.
According to The Associated Press, officials warned that the numbers could climb further as rescue teams still struggle to reach two towns cut off since the catastrophic Category 5 storm struck the island’s western region on Oct. 28.
Helicopters have been dropping food and other essential supplies to the isolated communities, Alvin Gayle, director general of Jamaica’s emergency management office, said.
He added that the storm has displaced 30,000 households, and 1,100 people remain in 88 emergency shelters across the country.
Nearly three dozen roadways are still blocked, as crews work to clear debris from the storm’s destruction, Gayle noted.
Communication and utility services are gradually being restored: about 50% of mobile customers have service, while over 70% now have access to water.
Meanwhile, power has been restored to more than 60% of customers, marking “a solid milestone given the scale of destruction,” said Hugh Grant, president and CEO of Jamaica’s power company.
Grant also highlighted that power was restored Tuesday to Montego Bay’s international airport, a key step for the island’s recovery and relief operations.
Hurricane Melissa was one of the strongest Atlantic hurricanes on record. After devastating Jamaica’s western region, it made landfall in eastern Cuba, destroying homes and crops, and triggering heavy flooding in southwestern Haiti, where at least 43 people have died.
Aid has been flowing into all three affected nations. On Monday, the U.S. government announced an additional $10 million in emergency funds for Jamaica and $2.5 million for Haiti, bringing total U.S. assistance for the hurricane-struck nations—including Cuba and the Bahamas—to nearly $37 million.
As communities work to rebuild, officials continue to urge caution and patience while rescue and restoration efforts press forward in the wake of one of the most powerful storms to hit the region in decades.
