Hurricane Melissa, now labeled a “Category 4”, is now intensifying to become a “Category 5” storm, prompting urgent warnings from US forecasters that it could be “potentially catastrophic” for Jamaica as it risks becoming one of the strongest storms ever to hit the island.
Amid the threatening circumstances, authorities are urging residents to evacuate low-lying areas as the hurricane is expected to unleash “unprecedented” rain.
As confirmed by authorities, Melissa can bring about 30 inches of rain or more to isolated areas in the coming days.
Currently, Hurricane Melissa was located approximately 124 miles south-southwest of Kingston, Jamaica. With winds reaching 145 mph and moving west at just 5 mph, the storm is expected to strengthen further and could become a Category 5 hurricane.
The director of the US National Hurricane Center, Jamie Rhome, warned that forecasts for the region had become “increasingly dire”.
Highlighting the intensity of the storm, he warned that the combination of the storm’s slow movement and extreme rainfall, according to Melissa, would “create catastrophic events” for Jamaica.
“Be wherever you are and be prepared to weather this situation for several days,” Rhome urged residents of eastern Jamaica.
It also warned of widespread power outages, disrupted communications and impassable roads.
The storm’s projected track suggests that the center of Melissa will move very close to or directly over Jamaica through Tuesday, October 28, possibly making landfall as a “high-end” Category 4 hurricane.
If it happened, it would be only the second Category 4 storm to hit Jamaica in history, following the devastating Hurricane Gilbert in 1988.
The emerging threat has given rise to numerous preparations in the Caribbean:
Jamaica
Airports were closed and the government issued evacuation orders for high-risk communities. Residents are stocking up, crowding supermarkets and gas stations, creating a “panic level,” as Norman Scott, the mayor of Spanish Town, reports.
Haiti and Dominican Republic
There are catastrophic flash floods and landslides in the area. Haitian authorities reported at least three deaths related to the storm, and at least one death was reported in the Dominican Republic.
Cuba
The hurricane watch has been upgraded to a warning for the eastern part of the country. The US Navy has begun evacuating hundreds of non-essential personnel and their family members from the Guantánamo Bay naval base.
Bahamas
The storm is expected to hit the southeastern Bahamas by Wednesday, October 29.
Melissa’s escalation was explosive. With the storm expected to approach the island’s coast within 24 hours, authorities are issuing a final, stern warning to residents to protect life.
