Hurricane Melissa hit the Caribbean. He devastated the “breadbasket of Jamaica” [PODSUMOWANIE]

Hurricane Melissa is considered one of the most powerful elements of this type that have ever occurred in the world. The driving force for this type of phenomena is the ocean. This is where cyclones draw endless amounts of energy and water vapor. However, for such a destructive monster as Melissa to arise, many factors must come together. HERE we explain the origins of this destructive element.

Meteorologists from AccuWeather say Hurricane Melissa is the third most powerful hurricane observed in the Caribbean – after Hurricane Wilma in 2005 and Hurricane Gilbert in 1988 – we read on “The Guardian”.

The current wind speed reaches 195 km per hour. 735,000 people were evacuated. inhabitants, Reuters reported, citing announcements from the Cuban authorities. Authorities declared a state of alarm in six eastern provinces where rivers burst their banks. There were also reports of landslides in the region.

The authorities announced a rescue operation in the town of El Cobre. 17 family members were rescued from the flooded building, including “children and the elderly,” reported the daily El Pais.

DPA reported that Melissa caused serious flooding in Cuba. Videos circulating on social media, which the agency could not confirm, show people in the hardest-hit areas wading through almost knee-deep water at home. Outside, the streets turned into raging rivers.

The national news website Cubadebate, cited by AFP, reported that water was flowing rapidly in mountainous areas in the Sierra Maestra range, “carrying away everything on the road.” The areas below are flooded.

Cuban President Miguel Diaz-Canel warned the island's residents on Tuesday that difficult times lie ahead. “It will be a very difficult night for all of Cuba, but we will make it,” he said before the hurricane hit.

Another endangered region is the Bahamas

According to the Cuban Meteorological Institute, the hurricane causes rainfall of up to 450 millimeters on the island. It moves at a speed of about 35 km per hour. This means that after six to eight hours, the hurricane should leave the land and move over the sea towards the Bahamas and Bermuda islands.

The Bahamian authorities appealed to residents of the southeast and central parts of the country to take care of their safety as soon as possible.

— This is your last chance to stay safe. If you have not yet found a safe shelter, please find one immediately, said Leon Lundy, minister of disaster risk management, at a press conference on Tuesday.

At least 10 people in Haiti have died in floods caused by Hurricane Melissa, local authorities said Wednesday.

Jamaican authorities: Hurricane Melissa caused massive destruction throughout the country

Earlier, Hurricane Melissa caused widespread destruction across Jamaica, authorities said Wednesday. The government has declared the entire island a “disaster area.” The hardest hit region was Saint Elizabeth in the southwest of the country, considered the breadbasket of Jamaica. There is no information about fatalities.

After the hurricane, many cities were under water. As reported by Desmond McKenzie from the national emergency management agency, the damage is enormous and affects almost all regions of the country. He stated that work is underway to restore electricity supplies to many customers. Priority will be given to hospitals, pumping stations and sewage treatment plants, AFP reported.

The authorities will be able to more precisely assess the damage caused by the element when it becomes light (the time difference between Poland and Jamaica is six hours).

Prime Minister Andrew Holness said rescue teams should “immediately begin the recovery process” on the eastern end of the island. Power and telecommunications should be restored there on Wednesday, but in the south, repairs will take longer due to greater damage. Holness declared the country a “disaster area”. According to CNN, this will help block attempts to inflate the prices of basic food products and water.

The head of government appealed to people to remain hopeful. “Our country was devastated by Melissa, but we will rebuild it and it will be even better than before,” he wrote on X.

In the Saint Catherine region, located in the central part of the country, the Rio Cobre river overflowed its banks and the hurricane tore roofs off buildings, AFP reported, emphasizing that the capital, Kingston, suffered less damage.

Sanitary services urged residents of the disaster-affected regions to protect themselves from crocodiles. Floods may force these animals to leave their natural habitats in search of dry land. Flooded areas should be avoided, and children and pets should be kept away from water bodies, the services said, quoted by DPA.

The United Nations (UN) plans to send 2,000. humanitarian aid kits to Jamaica from a supply station in Barbados as soon as flights become possible, reports Agence France-Presse (AFP). UN spokesman Stéphane Dujarric told journalists that aid is also planned for other countries affected by the disaster, including: Cuba.

Ministry of Foreign Affairs on the situation of Poles

We have no information that our citizens suffered any damage as a result of Hurricane Melissa, MFA spokesman Maciej Wewiór told PAP on Wednesday. He said that in Cuba, where the hurricane is heading, the Ministry of Diplomacy has so far confirmed the presence of 19 Poles registered in the Odyseusz system.

He added that the Ministry of Foreign Affairs had received information that the provincial authorities were transferring some tourists from hotels to facilities located elsewhere on the island. — We have no information whether there were Polish citizens among them. Our office also contacted travel agencies that organize trips and we know that none of them is organizing trips to Cuba this week, Wewiór emphasized.

— However, we know that there were Polish missionaries in the endangered regions of Cuba, but our facility is in constant contact with them and we have no signals that any of them were at risk — Wewiór added.