At least 25 people were killed in Petit-Goave, a southern coastal town in Haiti, after Hurricane Melissa triggered severe flooding that swept through the region, local officials said on Wednesday.
Mayor Jean Bertrand Subrème told the Associated Press that the La Digue river burst its banks, inundating nearby homes and sweeping away buildings. Dozens of houses collapsed under the force of the floods, and several residents remained trapped beneath the rubble as rescue efforts continued.
With only one official from Haiti’s Civil Protection Agency present in the area, locals scrambled to evacuate families amid rising waters and blocked roads.
A trail of destruction across the Caribbean
Melissa made landfall in Jamaica on Tuesday as a Category 5 hurricane — with top winds of 185 mph (295 kph) — making it one of the strongest Atlantic storms on record. The hurricane has since battered Cuba and Haiti, leaving widespread destruction, mass evacuations, and millions without power.
In Jamaica, the government said over 25,000 people were sheltering in emergency facilities after the storm tore off roofs, flooded neighbourhoods, and toppled power lines. Education Minister Dana Morris Dixon reported that 77% of the island remained without electricity as of Wednesday morning.
“It was chaos everywhere. Winds were tearing everything apart,” said a Kingston resident describing the hurricane’s impact.
Cuba reels from devastation
In Cuba, authorities reported collapsed homes, destroyed infrastructure, and blocked mountain roads. The worst damage was concentrated in Santiago de Cuba and Pinar del Río, where 735,000 people were still taking refuge in shelters.
“That was hell. All night long, it was terrible,” said Reinaldo Charon, a resident of Santiago de Cuba.
Regional emergency
Meteorologists said Hurricane Melissa’s path across the Caribbean left dozens dead and tens of thousands displaced, with floodwaters and fierce winds crippling essential services. Relief teams are now racing to deliver food, medical aid, and clean water to the worst-hit areas, while authorities brace for landslides and disease outbreaks in flooded regions.