Overview
- Officials report at least around 50 fatalities across the region, including 19 in Jamaica and 30 in Haiti, with authorities warning totals could rise as cut-off communities are reached.
- First international aid flights have landed in Jamaica and U.S. search-and-rescue teams are on the ground as crews work to clear more than 130 blocked roads and deliver food and medical care.
- Widespread destruction is reported across multiple islands, with Jamaica’s Black River losing up to 90% of roofs and damage to hospitals, schools and bridges alongside extensive power outages.
- Early private estimates put overall economic losses at roughly $48–52 billion, a figure expected to be refined as on-the-ground assessments progress.
- After weakening over the Bahamas, Melissa re-strengthened to Category 2 and passed near Bermuda overnight, with forecasters expecting continued weakening over the Atlantic.