Source: Trinidad & Tobago Guardian
Hurricane Melissa intensified into a catastrophic Category 5 storm on the morning of October 27, as it barrelled toward Jamaica, threatening the island with up to 30 inches of rain and a life-threatening storm surge.
Forecast to make landfall on the island on October 28, Melissa is the strongest hurricane in recent history to directly target the small Caribbean nation. The slow-moving storm is then projected to cross Cuba and the Bahamas through October 29.
“I want to urge Jamaicans to take this seriously,” warned Desmond McKenzie, deputy chairman of Jamaica’s Disaster Risk Management Council. “Do not gamble with Melissa. It’s not a safe bet.”
As of October 27, the US National Hurricane Center (NHC) in Miami reported Melissa was centered about 205 kilometers south-west of Kingston, Jamaica. The hurricane was packing maximum sustained winds of 160 mph, exceeding the 157 mph threshold for a Category 5, the highest on the Saffir-Simpson scale and crawling west at a mere 3 mph (6 kph).
“Don’t make foolish decisions,” echoed Daryl Vaz, Jamaica’s transport minister. “We are in a very, very serious time over the next few days.”
Melissa is expected to make another landfall later October 28 in eastern Cuba. A hurricane warning is in effect for Granma, Santiago de Cuba, Guantánamo, and Holguin provinces, with up to 20 inches of rain forecast, along with a significant storm surge along the coast. The storm has already proven deadly and destructive in Hispaniola. At least three people were killed in Haiti and a fourth in the Dominican Republic, where another person remains missing.
In the Dominican Republic, the storm damaged more than 750 homes, displacing over 3 760 people, and floodwaters have cut access to at least 48 communities.
“Flooding is obstructing access to farmland and markets, jeopardizing harvests and the winter agricultural season,” warned the UN’s Food and Agriculture Organisation, as Melissa is expected to keep dumping torrential rain over southern Haiti and the southern Dominican Republic in upcoming days.
