Jamaica orders evacuation of capital as major hurricane approaches
Contributors: CSU/CIRA, NOAA and Windy.com
Jamaica has ordered the evacuation of the capital as it prepares for what is thought to be the most “catastrophic” hurricane in the island’s history.
The Category 5 storm, which is set to make landfall on Tuesday, has increased in intensity as it moves towards the Caribbean nation, threatening torrential rains, deadly floods and devastating winds of up to 245 kilometers per hour.
Fishermen move boat to higher ground to prepare for storm surge from Hurricane Melissa – Octavio Jones/Reuters
The slow-moving hurricane has already killed at least three people in Haiti and a fourth person in the Dominican Republic, where one person remains missing.
The center of Hurricane Melissa is expected to move over Jamaica on Tuesday, dropping up to a meter of rain in some areas, then hit southeastern Cuba on Tuesday night and the Bahamas on Wednesday.
On Monday, the Jamaican government ordered the evacuation of seven low-lying cities and towns, including Kingston and Port Royal.
Jamaican prime minister Andrew Holness said: “I’m on my knees praying.”
The US National Hurricane Center said the storm intensified rapidly on Sunday night and told Jamaicans to “seek shelter immediately”, warning of “devastating and life-threatening” flash floods, landslides and storm surges.
Melissa was upgraded to Category 5, the highest level on the scale, on Monday and is expected to be the strongest hurricane Jamaica, home to 2.8 million people, has experienced in decades, causing billions of dollars in damage and destruction.
‘Don’t gamble with Melissa’
“I want to urge Jamaicans to take this seriously,” said Desmond McKenzie, deputy chairman of the island’s Disaster Risk Management Council. “Don’t gamble with Melissa. It’s not a safe bet.”
“Many of these communities will not survive this flood,” he said at a news conference. “Kingston is low, extremely low… No community in Kingston is immune from flooding.”
Palm trees sway in the wind as country braces for severe storms and floods – Octavio Jones/Reuters
In Kingston, residents spent the weekend fortifying their homes, buying sandbags and preparing to move to shelters further inland.
“Don’t make stupid decisions,” warned Daryl Vaz, Jamaica’s transport minister. “We are going through a very, very serious time in the next few days.”
Jamaican officials were concerned that residents were staying away from hurricane shelters, noting that there were fewer than 1,000 people in 880 shelters on the island.
“This is well below what is required for a Category 5 hurricane,” Daryl Vaz, Jamaica’s transportation minister, said.
“If you’re not [smart]”Unfortunately, you will suffer the consequences,” he warned.
Women sit in a shelter at an elementary school in Kingston, Jamaica, on Monday – RICARDO MAKYN/AFP
Experts warn storm is worst-case scenario; Because Melissa’s slow progress through the region will subject places in its path to longer periods of rain, winds and increased storm surge.
Melissa is likely to produce a life-threatening storm surge that will peak at about 13 ft (4 meters) above ground level on the south coast of Jamaica, near where the center of Melissa makes landfall.
The Foreign Office has urged British citizens to seek the nearest hurricane shelter amid news that Melissa has become the strongest storm of the year.
Foreign Affairs Minister Yvette Cooper said she had spoken to her Jamaican counterpart Kamina Smith to “offer support” and was monitoring the path of the hurricane.
The US embassy in Jamaica advised US citizens to be prepared to seek shelter through the “dangerous storm”.
Workers in the capital closed shop windows in anticipation of the hurricane that will hit the city – Matias Delacroix/AP
Evan Thompson, chief director of Jamaica’s meteorological service, warned that cleanup and damage assessment would be severely delayed due to expected landslides, flooding and road closures.
Towns and cities may be without power and communications for days after the storm passes.
Melissa has already wreaked havoc on the Dominican Republic, where it has damaged more than 750 homes across the country, displacing more than 3,760 people.
Floodwaters also blocked access to at least 48 communities, officials said.
Jonathan Porter, AccuWeather’s chief meteorologist, warned that Jamaica could face “a real humanitarian crisis very quickly.”
“There’s probably going to be a lot of international support needed,” he added.
Hurricane Melissa downgraded to a Category 5 storm previously in phase four – National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration
In neighboring Haiti, the storm destroyed crops in three regions at a time when more than half the country’s population, 5.7 million people, live. Hunger is experiencing crisis levels.
“Flooding is blocking access to farmland and markets, jeopardizing harvests and the winter farming season,” the UN Food and Agriculture Organization said.
Melissa was expected to continue dumping heavy rain on southern Haiti and the southern Dominican Republic in the coming days.
The hurricane is unlikely to affect the United States, but the Navy ordered the evacuation of all non-essential personnel from the Guantanamo Bay base in Cuba over the weekend.
While the Trump administration is waging a war against drug traffickers and striking suspected narcotics ships off the coast of Venezuela, the United States maintains a large naval presence near the Caribbean.
