Partial Toll of Tropical Storm Melissa: One Dead and Five Injured According to Civil Protection

PORT-AU-PRINCE.— Tropical Storm Melissa, currently sweeping across Haitian territory, has already claimed one life and left several injured, according to an initial assessment released Thursday by the Directorate General of Civil Protection (DGPC).

Several departments in the country are under maximum alert (orange vigilance), following weather forecasts that announced the passage of Tropical Storm MELISSA.

Located on the country's southern coast, it has already left its mark, causing damage due to violent wind gusts and intense rainfall that ravaged several communes.

According to information provided by the DGPC, a man approximately 70 years old lost his life in Marigot, in the Southeast department, after a tree fell, caused by violent winds. The victim's identity has not yet been made public.

Furthermore, five people were injured in the Artibonite Valley, following floods caused by heavy rains. These incidents illustrate the country's persistent vulnerability to recurrent climatic hazards and insufficient risk prevention infrastructure.

The DGPC coordinator, Emmanuel Pierre, has increased media appearances in Port-au-Prince alongside forecasters from Haiti's Hydrometeorological Unit (UHM), to raise public awareness and provide updates on the phenomenon's evolution.

Authorities are calling on the public to exercise caution, follow safety instructions, and remain attentive to weather bulletins broadcast through official channels.