Kingston, Oct 29: Hurricane Melissa, now a still “powerful” Category 4 storm, tore across Jamaica with historic intensity before moving toward Cuba, Al Jazeera reported. The US National Hurricane Center said Melissa made landfall near New Hope, about 62 km south of Montego Bay, with sustained winds of 185 mph, surpassing the lower limit of Category 5 strength, Al Jazeera noted.
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Dubbed the “storm of the century” by the World Meteorological Organisation, Melissa has battered the Caribbean for days, bringing heavy rainfall to Haiti and the Dominican Republic and causing seven deaths in the region, including three in Jamaica, three in Haiti, and one in the Dominican Republic, with one person missing, Al Jazeera reported.
The hurricane struck Jamaica at Category 5 strength, with forecasters warning of catastrophic flash floods, landslides, and widespread damage. WMO cyclone expert Anne-Claire Fontan projected rainfall could top 700mm, nearly double the seasonal average, Al Jazeera stated.
Jamaican government minister Desmond McKenzie told Al Jazeera that the island had taken extensive precautions but acknowledged the challenge of facing a Category 5 storm, recalling the extensive damage from last year’s Hurricane Beryl, Al Jazeera reported. Leiska Powell, a Red Cross emergency manager, said stronger winds and significant rainfall were expected to hit western Jamaica, potentially causing major damage, Al Jazeera added.
The International Federation of Red Cross and Red Crescent Societies warned that 1.5 million Jamaicans could be affected by Melissa, Al Jazeera reported. Kingston journalist Robian Williams said gusts had uprooted trees and downed power lines, leaving many without electricity as first responders cleared road blockages, Al Jazeera noted.
Around 25,000 tourists are on the island, and Prime Minister Andrew Holness’s office said hoteliers were offering emergency rates and shelters for stranded visitors, Al Jazeera reported. Holness also said Jamaica had received support from the UN, the US, EU, UK, France, and neighboring Caribbean countries, Al Jazeera added.
UN humanitarian spokesperson Jens Laerke emphasized that saving lives remained the top priority, warning that flooding could trigger health and epidemic risks without clean water, Al Jazeera reported. Jamaica’s South East Regional Health Authority also issued a crocodile alert after rising waters displaced large reptiles into populated areas, Al Jazeera noted.
Melissa, with winds approaching 300 km/h, is the year’s most powerful tropical storm globally, AFP analysis shows. The hurricane is expected to move east toward Cuba as a Category 4 storm, with evacuation efforts underway for over 600,000 people, including more than 200,000 each from Holguin province and Banes, Al Jazeera reported. Deputy Prime Minister Eduardo Martínez described the hurricane as “unprecedented” and extremely dangerous, Al Jazeera added.
