Hurricane Melissa has continued to strengthen off the coast of Jamaica – Image: Octavio Jones/REUTERS
Hurricane Melissa has strengthened into a Category 5 storm. It is expected to make a destructive landfall on Jamaica early Tuesday. Follow DW for more.
In an interview with CNN, Jamaica’s Prime Minister Andrew Holness warned Monday that Hurricane Melissa, which exploded into a Category 5 cyclone, could devastate western Jamaica if it hits the region at full force.
Melissa “is likely to turn north, so that means it could have an impact on our shores, more to the western end of Jamaica,” said Holness.
“And if that were to happen, and I’ve said it before, I don’t believe there is any infrastructure within this region that could withstand a Category 5 storm, so there could be significant dislocation,” he added.
Some residents say they fear their homes may be looted – Image: Matias Delacroix/AP Photo/picture alliance
Some Jamaicans refuse to evacuate for Hurricane Melissa
Mandatory evacuations were issued for flood-prone areas in Jamaica, with buses transporting residents to safe shelters.
Government official Desmond McKenzie announced that storm shelters across the island had been opened and urged citizens to heed evacuation warnings.
“This is one bet you cannot win. You cannot bet against Melissa,” he warned.
Still, some residents chose to remain in their homes.
“My only worry is flooding because we live close to the sea,” said Hyacinth White, who said she had no intention of moving to a shelter.
Officials expressed concern that fewer than 1,000 people were using the more than 880 shelters available across the country.
“It’s way, way below what is required for a Category 5 hurricane,” said Daryl Vaz, Jamaica’s transport minister, who urged people “to be smart … If you are not, unfortunately, you will pay the consequences.”
Noel Francis, a 64-year-old fisherman from the southern town of Old Harbor Bay, said, “I hear what they’re saying, but I’m not leaving. I can take care of myself.”
Meanwhile, several towns along Jamaica’s southern coast reported power outages as winds strengthened overnight.
Why is Hurricane Melissa moving at a slow speed an issue?
Melissa has a worryingly slow pace. At just around three miles (4.8 kilometers) per hour, it’s below an average person’s walking speed.
That means impacted areas could experience punishing conditions for a much longer duration than a hurricane that passes by more quickly.
“Tens of thousands of families are facing hours of extreme wind gusts above 100 mph (160 kmh) and days of relentless, torrential rainfall,” said AccuWeather Chief Meteorologist Jonathan Porter, adding infrastructure damages could hamper the arrival of aid.
“Slow-moving major hurricanes often go down in history as some of the deadliest and most destructive storms on record,” he added. “This is a dire situation unfolding in slow motion.”
Forecasts predicted as much as 40 inches (around one meter) of rain, with deluges likely to cause flash floods and landslides across Jamaica, Haiti, and the Dominican Republic.
“This extreme rainfall potential, owing to the slow motion, is going to create a catastrophic event here for Jamaica,” said the US National Hurricane Center Deputy Director Jamie Rhome.
Category 5 is the highest on the Saffir-Simpson scale – Image: NOAA/AP Photo/picture alliance
Melissa expected to be the most powerful hurricane to hit Jamaica
Melissa is forecast to be the worst storm in Jamaica since record-keeping began in 1851.
The strongest previous hurricane to make landfall on the tiny Caribbean island was Gilbert in 1988.
Hurricane Gilbert, a Category 3 storm, killed over 40 in Jamaica and left hundreds more dead across the Caribbean and in Mexico.
Hurricane Melissa: What you need to know
- Hurricane Melissa has reached Category 5 — the highest hurricane scale, with sustained winds exceeding 157 miles per hour (250 kilometers per hour)
- It is expected to be the strongest hurricane in recorded history to hit Jamaica, according to Jonathan Porter, chief meteorologist at AccuWeather
- A hurricane warning has been issued for Jamaica, as well as for the Cuban provinces of Granma, Santiago de Cuba, Guantanamo and Holguin
- Melissa was not expected to affect the United States
- Three people have died in Haiti and one person in the Dominican Republic
(DW.com/NAN 28-10-25)
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