Hurricane Melissa leaves 49 dead in Caribbean

Hurricane Melissa’s confirmed death toll climbed to 49 on Thursday, according to official reports, after wreaking destruction across much of the northern Caribbean and picking up speed as it headed past Bermuda in the North Atlantic. Authorities in Haiti, which was not directly hit but nevertheless suffered days of torrential rains from the slow- moving storm, reported at least 30 deaths and 20 more missing. At least 23 people, including 10 children, died in Haiti’s southern town of Petit-Goave when a river burst its banks. Roads, houses and farmlands were also damaged by the rains. Jamaica’s information minister confirmed at least 19 deaths, but said authorities were continuing search and rescue efforts. The storm left hundreds of thousands without power, ripped roofs of buildings and scattered fields with rubble. Jamaica’s military has called on reserve personnel to report for duty to help with relief and rescue operations. Melissa made landfall in southwestern Jamaica on Tuesday as a powerful Category 5 hurricane, the Caribbean nation’s strongest-ever storm to directly hit its shores, and the first major hurricane to do so since 1988. Windspeeds were well above the minimum level for the strongest hurricane classification. Forecasters at AccuWeather said it tied in second place for strongest-ever Atlantic hurricane on record in terms of windspeed when in struck land. The forecaster estimated $48 billion to $52 billion in damage and economic loss across the western Caribbean.