ALBAWABA- At least 25 people were killed in southern Haiti after torrential rains from Hurricane Melissa triggered catastrophic flooding, submerging entire neighborhoods and washing away homes in the coastal town of Petit-Goâve, local officials said on Tuesday.
Mayor Jean Yvres Amazan confirmed that the La Digue River burst its banks overnight, turning streets into torrents and leaving hundreds of residents stranded on rooftops.
The flooding, caused by the outer bands of the Category 5 hurricane that earlier battered Jamaica with 175 mph winds, devastated infrastructure and left rescue operations struggling amid blocked roads and ongoing downpours.
Authorities warned the death toll could rise as emergency teams comb through debris, with forecasters predicting another 10 to 20 inches of rain in the coming days.
Haiti’s Civil Protection Directorate reported more than 1,000 families displaced across the Sud department, where hospitals, schools, and bridges have been inundated. In nearby Île-à-Vache, hurricane winds uprooted trees and triggered landslides, killing at least three more people, including an elderly man crushed by debris.
UN spokesperson Stéphane Dujarric said emergency supplies were being dispatched to Haiti, Jamaica, and Cuba, where Melissa’s eye was expected to make landfall late Tuesday, threatening 12-foot storm surges and further flooding.
Haiti, already crippled by gang violence, food shortages, and a weakened state, now faces compounding crises as aid workers describe the situation as “a humanitarian catastrophe on top of chaos.” The United Nations and European Union have pledged rapid assistance, but local responders warn that resources remain critically short.
