Overview
- Jamaica’s prime minister called Black River “ground zero,” citing aerial surveys showing 80–90% of roofs destroyed and a storm surge near 16 feet that flooded the hospital, fire station and emergency operations centre.
- Officials reported at least four deaths in southwest Jamaica as counts continue to evolve, while Haiti recorded at least 25 dead with 18 missing and Cuba reported no fatalities after evacuating more than 735,000 people.
- Landslides and debris have cut key routes such as the Santa Cruz corridors, and authorities reported extensive outages with much of the island without electricity or water.
- Jamaica’s main airport reopened Wednesday evening for emergency flights, with teams delivering water and food as international assistance begins to flow, including U.S. rescue and response teams.
- Before-and-after satellite imagery shows widespread destruction across Jamaica, including near Montego Bay and Black River, while warnings remain in effect for parts of the Bahamas and Bermuda as the storm tracks near Bermuda late Thursday.