Death toll rises as Caribbean nations dig out after Hurricane Melissa
Dozens are dead and missing after monster storm Melissa thrashes Jamaica, Haiti and Cuba
People across the northern Caribbean were digging out from the destruction of Hurricane Melissa on Thursday as deaths from the catastrophic storm climbed.
The rumble of large machinery, the whine of chainsaws and the chopping of machetes echoed throughout southeast Jamaica as government workers and residents began clearing roads in a push to reach isolated communities that sustained a direct hit from one of the most powerful Atlantic storms on record.
Emergency relief flights began landing at Jamaica’s main international airport, which reopened late Wednesday, as crews distributed water, food and other basic supplies.
“The devastation is enormous,” Jamaican Transportation Minister Daryl Vaz said.
Some Jamaicans wondered where they would live.