Hurricane Melissa caused at least 67 deaths, up to $4 billion in insured losses in Jamaica and tens of billions of dollars of overall damage throughout the Caribbean, authorities in the storm-ravaged islands said Monday.
The death toll in Jamaica reached 32, Education Minister Dana Morris Dixon told reporters on Monday, to go along with previous reports of 34 dead in Haiti and one in the Dominican Republic.
"All of Jamaica is going through this period of mourning and this period of pain," Dixon said.
At the height of the storm, 77% of homes and businesses were without power. But by Monday afternoon, less than 50% of customers were in the dark, according to Hugh Grant, president of CEO of Jamaica Public Service Company (JPS).
"We understand the inconvenience and help is on the way," Grant said.
Evacuees slowly made their way back to what remained of their homes.
"Seeing the videos and the photographs is one thing, but actually being there in person and seeing the damage is quite another," Jamaican Sen. Abka Fitz-Henley said on X about his visit to Saint Elizabeth Parish. "It's heartbreaking."
The lawmaker said he can't shake the sight of all the damage and the memory of coming upon two children in the street "looking desolate with a sign saying they're hungry and they want food."
"I'd urge all Jamaicans who are able, let us do what we can to assist our brothers and sisters, our children, boys and girls, to build back stronger," he added.
Verisk, a data analytics company that assess damages for insurance companies, estimates that insured losses to be between $2.2 billion and $4.2 billion in Jamaica.
Many roofs in Jamaica were built in "informal" practices "with minimal to almost no professional input," according to the company.
"Under these circumstances, significant damage and, in a number of cases, near total destruction of buildings," the company said.
Verisk called Melissa "the most intense hurricane to make landfall in Jamaica since record keeping began."
Estimated damage throughout the Caribbean could be between $48 billion to $52 billion, according to AccuWeather.
The United States has pledged at least $11 million to support the relief efforts, according to a statement on Sunday from by Scott Renner, who serves as Chargé d’Affaires for the embassy in Jamaica.
"The United States stands with the people of Jamaica," according to an embassy statement.
