Twenty-six dead in Haiti, Jamaica in Hurricane Melissa aftermath, storm now making landfall in Cuba

At least 26 people have been killed in Haiti and Jamaica as a result of Hurricane Melissa, which made landfall in Cuba on Wednesday.

In Haiti, 25 people died, according to officials, The Associated Press reported. Jamaica has one confirmed death thus far.

The hurricane, which was a Category 5 when it hit Jamaica on Tuesday, has weakened to Category 2 after making landfall in Cuba. Hurricane Melissa is the strongest to hit Jamaica since records were first kept 174 years ago.

Jamaica’s education minister, Dana Morris Dixon, said that 77% of the island was without power on Wednesday.

Cuban officials said about 735,000 people are in shelters after they were evacuated from their homes in the island’s eastern region.

In Cuba, the hurricane had top sustained winds of 105 mph, according to the National Hurricane Center.

The U.S. State Department said Wednesday that it was deploying emergency teams to assist with search-and-rescue efforts.

"In response to catastrophic damage caused by Hurricane Melissa in many Caribbean countries, @StateDept is deploying a regional Disaster Assistance Response Team (DART) and activated US-based Urban Search and Rescue (USAR) teams to bolster response efforts," the department posted on X.

"These teams are working with affected countries and local communities to determine what assistance is needed and with interagency, international, and U.S. military partners to coordinate emergency response efforts."