Hurricane Melissa Left Millions of Tons of Debris in Jamaica, Says UN
The passage of Hurricane Melissa in Jamaica has created nearly 5 million tons of debris blocking roads and access to essential services, the United Nations Development Program (UNDP) warned on Thursday.
Hurricane Melissa, one of the most powerful storms to ever sweep through the Caribbean, is “the worst climate disaster in Jamaica’s history,” said Kishan Khoday, the UN agency’s representative on the island, during a video press conference.
“Initial estimates suggest that the damage caused is roughly equivalent to 30% of Jamaica’s GDP, and that figure is expected to rise,” he added, stressing the scale of the destruction.
“This devastating hurricane has left behind massive damage in western and central Jamaica: lives lost, homes, businesses, farms and infrastructure destroyed, livelihoods severely affected, and tons of debris scattered across the island,” he continued.
Based on the analysis of satellite data, the UNDP estimates that the hurricane generated more than 4.8 million tons of debris, enough to fill 480,000 standard trucks.
This includes approximately 2.1 million tons of rubble from buildings, 1.3 million tons of vegetation waste, and 1.4 million tons of personal belongings.
