Hurricane Melissa is set to hit Jamaica as its strongest storm since records began

KINGSTON, Jamaica (AP) — Hurricane Melissa was going to hit Jamaica on Tuesday as a Category 5 storm, the biggest storm to hit the island since records began 174 years ago.

The Jamaican government said it had done everything it could to get ready for the hurricane, which it anticipated would cause a lot of damage. There were very few people on the streets of Kingston, the capital. A single stray dog crossed puddles, and a few people walked quickly under tree branches that were blowing in a strong wind. Prime Minister Andrew Holness remarked, “There is no infrastructure in the region that can withstand a Category 5.” “The question now is how quickly things will get better.” That’s the problem.

The storm is predicted to hit land on Tuesday and cut across the island in a diagonal line. Shortly after, it is likely to impact Cuba.

Before the storm, there were reports of landslides, fallen trees, and several power outages. Jamaican officials warned that it would take a long time to clean up and assess the damage. Forecasters said that the storm should come in near St. Elizabeth parish in the south and leave around St. Ann parish in the north.

“Total structural failure is possible near the path of Melissa’s center,” the U.S. National Hurricane Center in Miami.

A storm surge of up to 13 feet (4 meters) is anticipated to hit southern Jamaica, and officials are worried about how this could affect several hospitals along the shore. Christopher Tufton, the health minister, stated that some patients were moved from the ground floor to the second floor. “We hope that will be enough for any surge that happens.”

There were already seven deaths in the Caribbean because to the hurricane, three in Jamaica, three in Haiti, and one in the Dominican Republic, where another person is still missing.

Jamaica gets ready for terrible damage
Melissa was around 55 miles (90 kilometers) south-southeast of Negril, Jamaica, and about 265 miles (430 kilometers) southwest of Guantánamo, Cuba, on Tuesday morning. The U.S. National Hurricane Center in Miami said that the system had maximum sustained winds of 175 mph (280 kph) and was heading north-northeast at 7 mph (11 kph).

Evan Thompson, the head of Jamaica’s meteorological department, said, “We’ll get through this together.”

Colin Bogle, a Mercy Corps advisor who lives in Kingston, said that most families are staying where they are even though the government has told them in flood-prone areas to leave.

He remarked, “A lot of people have never been through anything like this before, and the not knowing is scary.” “People are very afraid of losing their homes, their jobs, getting hurt, and being forced to move.”

Necephor Mghendi, the worldwide Red Cross’ regional head of delegation for the Caribbean, which speaks English and Dutch, warned that about 1.5 million people in the storm’s path will be affected, but many more will be as well.

He added by video link from Port-of-Spain, Trinidad and Tobago, “The whole population may feel the impact one way or the other.”

Before the storm, U.N. agencies and hundreds of organizations had food, medication, and other important goods ready to go in case there was a hurry to distribute them.

Matthew Samuda, Jamaica’s minister of water and the environment, said he had more than 50 generators ready to go after the hurricane. He also encouraged people to save clean water and use it sparingly.

“Every drop will matter,” he remarked.

Melissa is going after Cuba
A strong hurricane was also anticipated to hit eastern Cuba late Tuesday.

There was a hurricane warning for the provinces of Granma, Santiago de Cuba, Guantánamo, and Holguin. There was also a tropical storm alert for Las Tunas. Parts of Cuba were expected to get up to 20 inches (51 centimeters) of rain, and there was going to be a big storm surge along the shore.

On Monday, Cuban officials claimed they were moving more than 600,000 people out of the area, including Santiago, the island’s second-largest city.

Melissa has also soaked the southern parts of Haiti and the Dominican Republic. A tropical storm warning is currently in effect for Haiti.

The hurricane was expected to move northeast after hitting Cuba and hit the southeast Bahamas by Wednesday night.

The southern and central Bahamas were under a hurricane warning, and the Turks and Caicos Islands were under a tropical storm warning.

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Coto sent in a report from San Juan, Puerto Rico. Geir Moulson in Berlin helped.

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