Hurricane Melissa has strengthened to a Category 5 storm and is approaching Jamaica, posing a significant threat of flooding, landslides, and extensive damage. This would mark the most powerful hurricane to hit the island since record-keeping began in 1851. Melissa has already caused seven fatalities in the northern Caribbean and is set to hit Jamaica early Tuesday before moving on to Cuba and then the Bahamas. The United States is not expected to be impacted by the storm.
Jamaican Prime Minister Andrew Holness expressed concerns about the impending disaster, stating, “I have been on my knees in prayer.” As of Monday night, Melissa was located approximately 245 kilometers southwest of Kingston and 535 kilometers southwest of Guantanamo, Cuba. The storm boasted maximum sustained winds of 280 kilometers per hour, moving at a speed of four kilometers per hour west-northwest.
Anticipating severe weather conditions, the U.S. National Hurricane Center in Miami warned of potential rainfall of up to 76 centimeters in eastern Jamaica and 40 centimeters in western Haiti, leading to “catastrophic flash flooding and numerous landslides.” Residents were advised to stay in safe shelters and avoid venturing outside.
Authorities issued mandatory evacuations in flood-prone areas in Jamaica, urging citizens to seek refuge in designated shelters. Despite these warnings, concerns were raised as fewer than 1,000 individuals sought shelter in over 130 available locations across the island, a number significantly below what is necessary for a Category 5 hurricane.
The storm has already claimed lives in Haiti, the Dominican Republic, and Jamaica, with fatalities reported from tree-cutting accidents, electrocution, and other storm-related incidents. Melissa is expected to continue its path, making landfall in eastern Cuba before bringing heavy rainfall and storm surges to the region.
Cleanup and damage assessment efforts in impacted areas are likely to be hampered by landslides, flooding, and blocked roads, as warned by Evan Thompson of Jamaica’s meteorological service. The storm’s impact on agriculture and food security in Haiti and the Dominican Republic is of particular concern, with significant crop damages and disruptions to access to farmland and markets.
Melissa is forecasted to continue to bring torrential rain to the southern regions of Haiti and the Dominican Republic in the coming days, posing ongoing risks of flooding and agricultural disruptions in the affected areas.
