Hurricane Melissa is expected to cause catastrophic flooding, landslides and storm surge in the Caribbean as it approaches Jamaica and Cuba.
A powerful hurricane approaching Jamaica and Cuba has intensified and could reach Category 5, the highest level, when it makes landfall this afternoon or early Tuesday, forecasters warned.
According to the US National Hurricane Center (NHC), Hurricane Melissa is expected to cause catastrophic flooding, landslides and storm surge in the region. Jamaican authorities have urged residents to evacuate to one of the 900 shelters established across the island.
On Sunday night, Prime Minister Andrew Holness issued mandatory evacuation orders for Port Royal in Kingston, as well as six other areas.
Storm Melissa currently has maximum sustained winds of up to 220 kilometers per hour (140 mph) and is expected to strengthen further as it approaches Jamaica.
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Desmond McKenzie, Minister for Local Government, said: “Many of these communities will not survive this flooding. Kingston is low, extremely low… No community in Kingston is immune to flooding.”
Both international airports are now closed.
The slow-moving storm has already claimed at least three lives in Haiti and one in the Dominican Republic, where another person remains missing.
The NHC reported that Melissa could bring between 15 inches (38 cm) and 30 inches (76 cm) of rain to Jamaica and southern Hispaniola, with localized totals exceeding one meter (40 inches).
Eastern Cuba is expected to receive between 10 inches (25 cm) and 15 inches (38 cm) of rain, with local amounts of up to 20 inches (51 cm).
Authorities warn of widespread damage to infrastructure, power and communications outages, and the isolation of several communities in Jamaica.
Dana Morris Dixon, Jamaica’s Minister of Information, said the Caribbean Disaster Emergency Management Agency is prepared to help, and several international partners have already pledged their support.
“We’ve heard the rainfall numbers. They’re numbers we’ve never heard before,” he said.
Highlighting what we can expect in the coming days, as reported the independent, Alex DaSilva, AccuWeather’s top hurricane expert, said: “People in Haiti, the Dominican Republic, Cuba and Jamaica should prepare for the growing threat of torrential rains, flash flooding, power outages and washed out roads. Melissa’s impacts could be catastrophic.”
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