Hurricane Melissa slammed into Jamaica on Tuesday, October 28, bringing ferocious winds and torrential rain – the most powerful storm ever to hit the island. Jamaican officials urged residents to move to higher ground and seek shelter, while the prime minister warned of potentially massive devastation. The Category 5 storm threatens catastrophic flooding and life-threatening conditions.
It has already been blamed for at least seven deaths in the Caribbean, including three in Jamaica, three in Haiti and one in the Dominican Republic, where another person remains missing.
«Last chance to protect your life,» said the US National Hurricane Center (NHC) mid-morning. «This is an extremely dangerous and life-threatening situation! Take cover now!» The NHC said Melissa’s winds had reached a staggering maximum speed of 185 miles (295 kilometers) per hour.
Its heavy rains combined with intense winds could wreak devastation on the scale of historic hurricanes including 2017’s Maria or 2005’s Katrina. Those massive storms, which have grown increasingly common as the climate warms, left indelible impacts on Puerto Rico and the US city of New Orleans.
«For Jamaica, it will be the storm of the century so far,» said Anne-Claire Fontan, of the World Meteorological Organization.
‘Jamaica, this is not the time to be brave’
Local government minister Desmond McKenzie said, on Monday evening, that of the island’s 880-odd shelters standing by, only 133 were hosting locals. They «should be seeing people now,» McKenzie said, adding «I want to urge persons in these parishes to get to high ground as quickly as possible.»
«Jamaica, this is not the time to be brave,» McKenzie said. «There is still a small window of opportunity. Let us see if we can use it wisely.»
The storm was expected to make landfall early Tuesday and slice diagonally across the island, entering near St. Elizabeth parish in the south and exiting around St. Ann parish in the north, forecasters said.
Jamaican Prime Minister Andrew Holness said the island’s western end faced the worst. «I don’t believe there is any infrastructure within this region that could withstand a Category 5 storm, so there could be significant dislocation,» he told CNN. «The question now is the speed of recovery. That’s the challenge.»
Hours before the storm, the government said it had done all it could to prepare as it warned of catastrophic damage. But despite pleas to evacuate, many residents in Jamaica were staying put. Holness said evacuation was about «the national good of saving lives.» «You have been warned. It’s now up to you to use that information to make the right decision,» he said during a briefing.
‘Catastrophic’ conditions
Jamaican Prime Minister Andrew Holness said the island’s western end faced the worst destruction. «I don’t believe there is any infrastructure within this region that could withstand a Category 5 storm, so there could be significant dislocation,» he told CNN. But despite pleas to evacuate, many Jamaican residents were staying put.
«1.5 million people may be impacted,» said Necephor Mghendi, the head of delegation for the English- and Dutch-speaking Caribbean for the International Federation of Red Cross and Red Crescent Societies. Speaking from Trinidad and Tobago, he told reporters in Geneva that that number could be «an underestimate.» «The humanitarian threat is severe and it’s immediate,» he said.
The NHC warned of «catastrophic» flash flooding, landslides and destructive winds that could cause lengthy power and communications outages, along with «extensive infrastructural damage.» Up to about a meter of rainfall were forecast, with deluges expected to bring flash flooding and landslides to Jamaica as well as Haiti, the Dominican Republic and Cuba.
Storm surge was likely along Jamaica’s southern coast, with waters potentially rising some 13 feet, along with «destructive waves.»
Melissa was set to strike nearby eastern end of Cuba late Tuesday after pummeling Jamaica. The hurricane was then forecast to turn northeast after Cuba and strike the southeast Bahamas by Wednesday evening. A hurricane warning was in effect for the southeastern and central Bahamas, and a tropical storm warning was issued for the Turks and Caicos Islands.
