Jamaica faced mounting danger on Monday as Hurricane Melissa strengthened into a Category 5 storm while creeping closer to the island at a slow pace that forecasters say will unleash prolonged destructive weather.
Authorities warned that as much as 1 metre of rainfall could fall in some areas. The US National Hurricane Center said sustained winds exceeded 250 kilometres per hour. Melissa was located about 205 kilometres south southwest of Kingston on Sunday night and moving only 7 kilometres an hour. Landfall is expected late Monday or early Tuesday.
The slow movement raised fears of widespread flash flooding and landslides. Jamie Rhome, the deputy director of the NHC, said during a webcast briefing that the rainfall potential could trigger a catastrophic event for Jamaica.
The Jamaican government issued mandatory evacuation orders on Sunday for several low lying communities including Port Royal in Kingston, Portland Cottage and Rocky Point in Clarendon, Old Harbour Bay in Saint Catherine and Taylor Land, Bull Bay, New Haven and Riverton City in Saint Andrew.
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Desmond McKenzie, the minister of local government, said many of these communities will not withstand the scale of flooding expected.
He pleaded for compliance noting “There is nothing more we can do as a government but to beg and beseech. This is one bet you cannot win. You cannot bet against Melissa.”
More than 650 shelters were opened across the country for anyone needing refuge.
Evan Thompson, principal director of the Meteorological Service of Jamaica, said storm surge will hit mainly the southern coast but all parishes face the risk of flooding.
AFP spoke with Winston Moxam who recalled losing his roof in past storms and worried Melissa could be worse than 1988’s Hurricane Gilbert which killed dozens in Jamaica and hundreds across the region.
Both of Jamaica’s main airports Norman Manley International in Kingston and Sangster International in Montego Bay shut operations as seaports also closed.
Melissa has already been blamed for at least four deaths in Haiti and the Dominican Republic earlier in the week as outer rain bands triggered landslides.
Scientists say warming seas and changing weather patterns are leading to more intense and slower moving tropical storms. Small island nations like Jamaica contribute only a tiny fraction of global emissions yet suffer many of the worst consequences of rising temperatures.
Speaking at the United Nations General Assembly in September Prime Minister Andrew Holness said climate change is a daily reality for Jamaica and urged wealthier nations to increase financing for adaptation.