Hurricane Melissa cut through the southeast Bahamas Wednesday and is expected to pass just west of Bermuda by late Thursday.
Authorities in the Bahamas evacuated dozens of people from the archipelago’s southeast corner ahead of Melissa.
“We’ve had about five flights so far,” Alex Storr, executive chairman of the Bahamas’ Disaster Management Authority, said Wednesday, adding that they expected at least four more flights later in the day.
According to the National Hurricane Center, Melissa’s center has moved through the southeastern Bahamas, generating up to 7 feet of storm surge in the area.
By late Thursday, Melissa is expected to pass just west of Bermuda.
The United States is sending rescue and response teams to assist in recovery efforts in the Caribbean, U.S. Secretary of State Marco Rubio announced on X on Wednesday. He said that government officials were coordinating with leadership in Jamaica, Haiti, the Dominican Republic and the Bahamas.
“Our prayers are with the people of the Caribbean,” he wrote.
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