At least 20 people, including 10 children, have died after Hurricane Melissa unleashed devastating floods across southern Haiti, officials confirmed Wednesday.
The country’s civil defense chief, Emmanuel Pierre, said the victims drowned in violent river floods triggered by the hurricane’s passage through the region. He added that 10 others remain missing, as emergency teams continue desperate search-and-rescue efforts.
Pierre told AFP that the Digue River in the coastal town of Petit-Goave overflowed its banks, destroying homes and sweeping away residents. “People have been killed, houses have been swept away by the water,” said Steeve Louissaint, a local resident who watched helplessly as torrents swallowed his neighborhood.
Witnesses described horrifying scenes of families trapped by rising waters. In one viral video, a grieving father was seen crying as he lifted his daughter’s lifeless body from the wreckage.
Officials said the floods have displaced hundreds of families, leaving many stranded without shelter or food. Rescue workers waded through chest-deep water, trying to reach isolated areas cut off by the storm.
The tragedy in Haiti comes after Hurricane Melissa — the most powerful storm to hit the Caribbean in 90 years — tore through Jamaica and Cuba, leaving widespread destruction in its wake.
Cuban President Miguel Díaz-Canel confirmed “considerable damage” across several provinces, with hundreds of homes flattened and power lines destroyed.
The hurricane, which has now been downgraded to Category 2, continues to threaten the Bahamas and Bermuda, where hurricane warnings remain in effect. Meteorologists said heavy rains and strong winds could still trigger flash floods and mudslides in those regions.
In the Dominican Republic, streets were flooded and cars submerged after the storm swept through as a tropical system. Photos from Santo Domingo showed residents wading through waist-deep water as emergency crews struggled to clear debris.
The latest disaster has again exposed Haiti’s deep vulnerability to extreme weather. Years of poverty, political instability, and poor infrastructure have left the country ill-prepared for natural disasters.
Humanitarian groups are now calling for urgent international aid to assist victims and prevent disease outbreaks in flooded areas. “The situation is dire,” said one aid worker. “Without quick help, more lives will be lost.”
Hurricane Melissa’s path has revived fears of another humanitarian crisis in the Caribbean, with forecasts warning that the storm could regain strength over open waters before dissipating.