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Kingston, Jamaica Braces for Historic Category 5 Hurricane Melissa
Kingston, Jamaica – Hurricane Melissa has rapidly intensified to a powerful Category 5 storm, setting its sights on Jamaica with a catastrophic forecast of up to 30 inches of rain and a life-threatening storm surge. The U.S. National Hurricane Center in Miami reports that Melissa is expected to make landfall on the island on Tuesday, before continuing its destructive path across Cuba and the Bahamas through Wednesday.
As of Monday, the hurricane was located approximately 130 miles south-southwest of Kingston, Jamaica, and 315 miles south-southwest of Guantánamo, Cuba. Melissa boasts maximum sustained winds of 160 mph, moving at a slow 3 mph to the west. This makes Melissa the strongest hurricane in recent history to directly threaten the small Caribbean nation, with Category 5 being the highest on the Saffir-Simpson scale, signifying sustained winds exceeding 157 mph.
Forecasters warn of dire consequences, with some eastern areas of Jamaica potentially receiving up to 40 inches of rain, while western Haiti could see 16 inches. The hurricane center issued a stark warning: “Catastrophic flash flooding and numerous landslides are likely.”
Tragically, the slow-moving storm has already claimed at least three lives in Haiti and one in the Dominican Republic, where another person remains missing.
Officials are urging extreme caution. “I want to urge Jamaicans to take this seriously,” stated Desmond McKenzie, deputy chairman of Jamaica’s Disaster Risk Management Council.
“Do not gamble with Melissa. It’s not a safe bet.”
Following its impact on Jamaica, Melissa is anticipated to make another landfall in eastern Cuba later on Tuesday. Hurricane warnings are in effect for Granma, Santiago de Cuba, Guantánamo, and Holguin provinces, with a tropical storm warning for Las Tunas. Cuba could experience up to 20 inches of rain and a significant coastal storm surge.
A Record Storm for Jamaica
Evan Thompson, principal director at Jamaica’s meteorological service, emphasized the historic nature of Hurricane Melissa, stating it could be the strongest hurricane Jamaica has experienced in decades. He cautioned that post-storm cleanup and damage assessment would be severely hampered by anticipated landslides, widespread flooding, and blocked roads.
In addition to the torrential rainfall, Melissa is expected to generate a life-threatening storm surge along Jamaica’s southern coast, potentially reaching 13 feet above ground level near and east of the hurricane’s landfall point.
“Don’t make foolish decisions,” warned Daryl Vaz, Jamaica’s transport minister. “We are in a very, very serious time over the next few days.”
Melissa’s Impact on Hispaniola
The storm has already unleashed heavy rainfall on the Dominican Republic, prompting the closure of schools and government offices in four of nine provinces still under a red alert on Monday. Authorities report that Melissa has damaged over 750 homes across the country, displacing more than 3,760 people. Floodwaters have also cut off access to at least 48 communities.
In neighboring Haiti, the hurricane has devastated crops in three regions, including 15 hectares of maize. This comes at a critical time when over half of Haiti’s population, approximately 5.7 million people, is experiencing crisis levels of hunger, with 1.9 million facing emergency hunger levels.
The U.N.’s Food and Agriculture Organization expressed grave concerns, stating, “Flooding is obstructing access to farmland and markets, jeopardizing harvests and the winter agricultural season.” Melissa is expected to continue dumping torrential rain over southern Haiti and the southern Dominican Republic in the coming days.