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Hurricane Melissa: Jamaica Confirms 28 Dead as Relief Ramps Up, Flights Falter

Severe damage to transport networks is delaying evacuations as well as aid.

Overview

  • Jamaica’s confirmed death toll has risen to 28, bringing the regional total to at least 59 after the Category‑5 storm.
  • The government is setting up field hospitals in five western parishes, with the first due in Black River, as medical associations call for volunteer doctors to relieve exhausted staff.
  • Power and water remain widely disrupted and fuel is scarce in the west, according to Transport Minister Daryl Vaz.
  • Despite plans to restart service at Montego Bay’s airport, dozens of flights were canceled and thousands of tourists remain stranded; Condor’s Montego BayFrankfurt flight on Nov. 1 was among those scrapped.
  • UN agencies have mobilized: WHO is deploying emergency medical teams, IFRC launched appeals (€20 million for Jamaica, €16 million for Cuba), and WFP delivered 5,000 food packages, as destroyed crops and lack of refrigeration raise food and water safety risks.