Category 5 Hurricane Melissa Brings Flooding and Catastrophic Winds to Jamaica
The strongest Atlantic hurricane on record makes landfall, causing widespread damage and disruption.
KINGSTON, Jamaica: Heavy floodwaters swept across southwestern Jamaica, while winds tore roofs off buildings and boulders tumbled into roads on Tuesday as Hurricane Melissa made landfall as a catastrophic Category 5 storm.
This marks one of the strongest Atlantic hurricanes on record.
Desmond McKenzie, deputy chairman of Jamaica’s Disaster Risk Management Council, urged residents to seek shelter and stay indoors as the storm crossed the island.
"Jamaica, this is not the time to be brave," he stated.
The streets in the capital, Kingston, remained largely empty as Melissa approached, with only a stray dog crossing puddles and a few people walking briskly under tree branches swaying in the stiff wind.
The Jamaican government had warned of devastating damage from the strongest hurricane to hit the island since recordkeeping began 174 years ago.
Prime Minister Andrew Holness stated, "There is no infrastructure in the region that can withstand a Category 5".
He emphasized the challenge ahead as being the speed of recovery.
As Melissa came ashore near New Hope, landslides, fallen trees, and numerous power outages were reported.
Jamaican officials cautioned that cleanup and damage assessments could be slow, with the storm expected to cut diagonally across the island before moving towards Cuba.
Michael Brennan, director of the US National Hurricane Center in Miami, forecasted massive wind damage within Melissa’s core, with potential gusts up to 200 mph (322 kph) in Jamaica's highest mountains.
He warned of "total building failures," describing the situation as very dangerous.
Melissa had winds sustained at 165 mph (270 kph) and was moving north-northeast at 8 mph (13 kph), according to the National Hurricane Center, with a life-threatening storm surge expected across southern Jamaica.
Health Minister Christopher Tufton noted that some patients were relocated from hospital ground floors to the second floor in anticipation of flooding.
Despite government-ordered evacuations in flood-prone communities, most families opted to shelter-in-place, according to Colin Bogle, a Mercy Corps adviser based near Kingston.
Reports indicated the storm was already responsible for seven deaths across the Caribbean, including three in Jamaica and one each in Haiti and the Dominican Republic, where another person remains missing.
Prior to landfall, over 240,000 customers were without power, and about a quarter of the telecommunications system was offline, according to Darryl Vaz, transport and energy minister.
Efforts to restore services and prepare for emergency relief flights were underway.
UN agencies and numerous nonprofits had pre-positioned essential supplies such as food and medicine in anticipation of an urgent distribution need following the storm.
Matthew Samuda, Jamaica’s water and environment minister, advised citizens to conserve clean water post-landfall, stating that "every drop will count".
Melissa is then expected to make landfall in eastern Cuba late Tuesday or early Wednesday.
Forecasters predicted up to 51 centimeters (20 inches) of rain and a significant storm surge along the coast.
In anticipation of the hurricane’s impact on Cuba, authorities prepared to evacuate more than 200,000 people from the eastern Holguín province, with similar numbers evacuated earlier from Banes.
Images and reports depicted buses transporting evacuees to shelters, while Deputy Prime Minister Eduardo Martínez described the situation as "very dangerous" and "unprecedented".
Hurricane Melissa has also affected Haiti and the Dominican Republic, prompting a tropical storm warning in Haiti.
The storm is forecasted to turn northeast and impact the southeast Bahamas by Wednesday evening.
This marks one of the strongest Atlantic hurricanes on record.
Desmond McKenzie, deputy chairman of Jamaica’s Disaster Risk Management Council, urged residents to seek shelter and stay indoors as the storm crossed the island.
"Jamaica, this is not the time to be brave," he stated.
The streets in the capital, Kingston, remained largely empty as Melissa approached, with only a stray dog crossing puddles and a few people walking briskly under tree branches swaying in the stiff wind.
The Jamaican government had warned of devastating damage from the strongest hurricane to hit the island since recordkeeping began 174 years ago.
Prime Minister Andrew Holness stated, "There is no infrastructure in the region that can withstand a Category 5".
He emphasized the challenge ahead as being the speed of recovery.
As Melissa came ashore near New Hope, landslides, fallen trees, and numerous power outages were reported.
Jamaican officials cautioned that cleanup and damage assessments could be slow, with the storm expected to cut diagonally across the island before moving towards Cuba.
Michael Brennan, director of the US National Hurricane Center in Miami, forecasted massive wind damage within Melissa’s core, with potential gusts up to 200 mph (322 kph) in Jamaica's highest mountains.
He warned of "total building failures," describing the situation as very dangerous.
Melissa had winds sustained at 165 mph (270 kph) and was moving north-northeast at 8 mph (13 kph), according to the National Hurricane Center, with a life-threatening storm surge expected across southern Jamaica.
Health Minister Christopher Tufton noted that some patients were relocated from hospital ground floors to the second floor in anticipation of flooding.
Despite government-ordered evacuations in flood-prone communities, most families opted to shelter-in-place, according to Colin Bogle, a Mercy Corps adviser based near Kingston.
Reports indicated the storm was already responsible for seven deaths across the Caribbean, including three in Jamaica and one each in Haiti and the Dominican Republic, where another person remains missing.
Prior to landfall, over 240,000 customers were without power, and about a quarter of the telecommunications system was offline, according to Darryl Vaz, transport and energy minister.
Efforts to restore services and prepare for emergency relief flights were underway.
UN agencies and numerous nonprofits had pre-positioned essential supplies such as food and medicine in anticipation of an urgent distribution need following the storm.
Matthew Samuda, Jamaica’s water and environment minister, advised citizens to conserve clean water post-landfall, stating that "every drop will count".
Melissa is then expected to make landfall in eastern Cuba late Tuesday or early Wednesday.
Forecasters predicted up to 51 centimeters (20 inches) of rain and a significant storm surge along the coast.
In anticipation of the hurricane’s impact on Cuba, authorities prepared to evacuate more than 200,000 people from the eastern Holguín province, with similar numbers evacuated earlier from Banes.
Images and reports depicted buses transporting evacuees to shelters, while Deputy Prime Minister Eduardo Martínez described the situation as "very dangerous" and "unprecedented".
Hurricane Melissa has also affected Haiti and the Dominican Republic, prompting a tropical storm warning in Haiti.
The storm is forecasted to turn northeast and impact the southeast Bahamas by Wednesday evening.
