Jamaica is grappling with a deepening crisis as the official death toll from Hurricane Melissa reached 28 on Saturday. However, authorities and aid workers admit they still haven’t reached dozens of the hardest-hit areas, casting a grim shadow over the actual number of lives lost to the devastating storm.
The Jamaican government confirmed nine additional fatalities, bringing the total from 19 to 28, but stressed that further reports of potential deaths are still awaiting verification.
Hurricane Melissa, a monstrous Category 5 storm, slammed into Jamaica on Tuesday, leaving a trail of unprecedented destruction. Neighboring Haiti, while not directly in the storm’s path, also suffered immensely with at least 30 people killed by severe flooding.
Across western Jamaica, numerous communities are entirely isolated, cut off by impassable roads and fallen trees. With electricity and telephone services largely defunct, officials are struggling to grasp the full scale of the catastrophe and accurately assess the death toll in many regions, according to several rescue personnel.
Image: A coastal road in St. Elizabeth Parish, Jamaica, remains gridlocked with vehicles amidst damaged buildings and uprooted trees, days after Hurricane Melissa.
Fire Superintendent Kimar Brooks reported that roughly 15 out of St. Elizabeth Parish’s three dozen communities in the island’s southwest are still inaccessible. Police Superintendent Coleridge Minto confirmed seven official deaths in the parish, noting that many towns remain blocked.
Esther Pinnock, a spokesperson for the Jamaica Red Cross, highlighted the plight of isolated communities in five other parishes that suffered extensive damage. “A significant number of communities have not been reached,” she stated, emphasizing that many are small, remote pockets. “We don’t know the true picture of what is happening in the western parishes.”
Ms. Pinnock revealed the alarming delay in communication, stating that the Red Cross only began receiving updates from its western branch members on Saturday – a full four days after Hurricane Melissa’s landfall.
“There is a strong possibility that more dead bodies will emerge,” she warned, “and as a result of that, a heightened death toll is expected.”
Image: A woman anxiously reports her mother missing to police officials in Black River, a town within St. Elizabeth Parish, highlighting the personal tragedies unfolding.
John Lyon, executive director of Haiti Air Ambulance, a non-profit involved in helicopter rescues and satellite internet delivery to remote areas, referred to the current death count as merely an “early estimate.”
Flying over cut-off communities, Mr. Lyon recounted testimonies from residents who indicated that many storm victims were still trapped within their collapsed homes. His organization, Operation One Love, even airlifted one individual on Saturday who tragically succumbed to their injuries later. “That’s a microcosm of what I think happened throughout western Jamaica,” Mr. Lyon remarked, describing it as “one of the worst disasters I have ever seen.”
Despite the grim findings, Mr. Lyon shared a glimmer of hope, noting the arrival of more U.S. military and non-profit helicopters. These additional resources are crucial for providing medical attention to survivors and gaining a clearer understanding of the casualties.
When asked by Jamaican authorities if his coalition could assist in body recovery, Mr. Lyon’s response was firm: “You’re still in search and rescue mode.”
Desmond McKenzie, Jamaica’s minister of local government, stated that over 500 roads have been cleared, reconnecting previously isolated neighborhoods. “Work is being done, but the challenges here are extreme,” he acknowledged.
Daryl Vaz, Jamaica’s minister of energy and transportation, assured the public that the government, military, and various non-profits are collaborating closely to reach as many people as possible. “So I would say to all of those persons who are still out there waiting and looking up in the sky, that you will start to see movements today, and you’re going to hear a lot of activity,” Mr. Vaz said on Friday.
He offered a message of reassurance to the distressed: “You probably are feeling that you are forgotten. You are not forgotten, and you will never be forgotten.”
Emiliano Rodríguez Mega contributed reporting.