Deadly Hurricane Melissa Leaves Trail of Destruction Across Caribbean

As of last week, the confirmed death toll from Hurricane Melissa's rampage through the Caribbean has reached 49, according to official reports. The powerful Category 5 storm made landfall in southwestern Jamaica on Tuesday, October 24th, marking the Caribbean nation's strongest-ever direct hurricane strike.

Melissa's destruction was not limited to Jamaica, however. In Haiti, which was not directly hit but still suffered days of torrential rains, at least 30 people were killed and 20 more remain missing. The southern town of Petit-Goave was particularly hard-hit, with a river bursting its banks and claiming the lives of 23 people, including 10 children.

Across the region, the hurricane left a trail of devastation. In Jamaica, the information minister confirmed at least 19 deaths, with search and rescue efforts still ongoing. Hundreds of thousands were left without power, buildings had their roofs ripped off, and fields were scattered with debris. The Jamaican military has called on reserve personnel to assist with relief and rescue operations.

In eastern Cuba, some 735,000 people were evacuated, and while no deaths were reported, the damage to homes and crops was extensive. The forecaster AccuWeather estimated the total damage and economic loss across the western Caribbean to be between $67 and $72 billion.

As of last Thursday, Melissa had weakened to a Category 2 storm and was located 264 kilometers west of Bermuda, where residents remained calm as the storm was expected to pass the island with a relatively wide berth. Authorities in the Bahamas, which Melissa cut through on Wednesday night, lifted storm warnings but did not give the "all clear" as they assessed the situation.