Death toll from Hurricane Melissa rises to 45 in Jamaica, with 15 others still missing

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SAN JUAN, Puerto Rico (AP) — The number of confirmed deaths from Hurricane Melissa in Jamaica rose to 45, with 15 other people missing, authorities said Tuesday.

The death toll is expected to rise, with officials still trying to reach two towns that remain cut off since the catastrophic Category 5 storm made landfall in western Jamaica on Oct. 28.

Helicopters have been dropping food and other basic supplies in those two communities, said Alvin Gayle, director general of Jamaica’s emergency management office.

He said the storm has displaced 30,000 households, with 1,100 people still living in 88 emergency shelters that remain open.

U.N. deputy spokesperson Farhan Haq said shelter remains a major concern, with 40,000 tarpaulins unable to be delivered due to damaged and blocked roads.

Nearly three dozen roadways remain blocked as crews continue to remove debris, Gayle said.

Officials noted that 50% of customers have mobile service, and more than 70% of customers now have water.

Meanwhile, crews have restored power to more than 60% of customers.

“This is a solid milestone given the scale of destruction,” said Hugh Grant, president and CEO of Jamaica’s power company.

He noted that power was restored Tuesday to Montego Bay’s international airport.

Hurricane Melissa was one of the strongest Atlantic hurricanes on record. It shredded Jamaica’s western region and then made landfall in eastern Cuba, where it destroyed homes and crops.

Haq said that more than 54,000 people in Cuba have been unable to return to their homes, including 7,500 living in official shelters. He noted that the number of affected health facilities has increased from 460 to more than 600, while the number of damaged homes has climbed from 60,000 to 90,000.

The storm also unleased heavy flooding in southwestern Haiti, where it was blamed for at least 43 deaths. Petit Goâve was among the hardest hit communities in that region, where officials with the U.N.'s World Food Program were distributing food to more than 40,000 people.

Aid has been pouring into the three nations as people struggle to recover from the storm.

On Monday, the U.S. government announced an additional $10 million in funds for Jamaica and another $2.5 million for Haiti, for a total of nearly $37 million for the nations affected, including Cuba and the Bahamas.

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