The inhabitants of Jamaica are preparing for the impact of Hurricane Melissa, which is forecast to bring destructive winds and catastrophic flooding as it passes through the Caribbean island on Tuesday.

It The hurricane is expected to make imminent landfall in the capital, Kingston, located in the south of the country.

After crossing the island towards the northeast, it will impact eastern Cuba on the night of Tuesday to Wednesday, according to forecasts.

Early Monday morning, Melissa reached Category 5 status, the maximum intensity of these phenomena, according to the National Hurricane Center (NHC) of the United States.

Its maximum winds reached 285 km/h, according to the most recent NHC bulletin, making it one of the strongest hurricanes in history.

The National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) of the United States issued a warning on Tuesday morning of “an extremely dangerous situation with threat to life” and urged the Jamaican population to take shelter in shelters or in the most interior rooms of buildings.

The latest data show that Melissa is not only the most powerful storm in the world so far this year, but it will also be “the storm of the century” for Jamaica, according to the World Meteorological Organization (WMO) been reaching the coast of Jamaica since Saturday and the island is expected to experience a powerful storm emerging on Tuesday.

The Caribbean island's government has ordered the evacuation of parts of the capital, Kingston, closed both international airports,and announced that the entire territory has been classified as “threatened.”

If Melissa continues along its forecast path, its core is expected to move over Jamaica on Tuesday, southeastern Cuba starting Tuesday night, and the southeastern Bahamas on Wednesday, according to the NHC.

Authorities have warned that Melissa is a phenomenon “like nothing we've ever seen before” and are preparing for the worst.

“The ground is already very saturated. And if this much rain falls on top of that, we'll have flooding, widespread flooding, and landslides in mountainous areas,” Jamaican Information Minister Dana Morris Dixon told the BBC.

The authorities' dire forecasts are made by experts.

“We expect Jamaica to experience a catastrophic situation,” said Anne-Claire Fontan, WMO tropical cyclone specialist, Reuters reported.

“No one in Jamaica has experienced anything comparable to what is coming,” meteorologist Matthew Cappucci told the BBC.

The expert indicated that it is “extremely rare” for a Category 5 hurricane to make landfall.

Faced with this scenario, various government officials have urged residents of low-lying and flood-prone areas to seek shelter in safer areas.

Jamaican Interior Minister Desmond McKenzie told local media that 881 shelters have been set up on the island.

70% of Jamaicans live within 5 kilometers of the coast, which, in addition to gusts of wind and rain, is being hit by strong waves and high tides.

For its part, the Red Cross estimates that 1.5 million people in the Caribbean island are at risk of being affected.

“Today will be a very difficult day for tens of thousands, if not millions of people in Jamaica,” said Necephor Mghendi of the International Federation of Red Cross and Red Crescent Societies (IFRC), via video link from Port of Spain, Trinidad and Tobago.

“Roofs will be tested, waters will rise, and isolation will become a harsh reality for many,” he added.

Its dangerous slowness

Melissa has been characterized by a particularly slow movement of 6 km/h (3.7 mph) over the Caribbean waters, which represents a greater risk because its heavy rains remain for longer in the region.

According to forecasts, 100 cm of rain could fall in some areas of Jamaica over the next four days, which is a serious threat in terms of flooding.

“This extreme potential for rainfall, due to its slow movement, is going to create a catastrophic event for Jamaica,” said Jamie Rhome, deputy director of the NHC.

Forecasters also warn of destructive winds and a storm surge with the potential to be deadly for people.

On Monday night,Forecasters warned that Melissa was showing signs of further strengthening in the next 12 to 24 hours.

Damian Anderson, a 47-year-old teacher in the mountainous southeastern town of Hagley Gap, said roads were already impassable, cutting the town off.

“We can't move. We are scared,” he told the Reuters news agency.

In a post on Jamaicans to prepare, stay indoors during the storm and comply with evacuation orders. strength as it moves through the southeastern Bahamas. Several people were rescued after being trapped in their cars by rising waters.

There were reports from Haiti that at least three people died and hundreds of homes suffered flooding, as Melissa brought torrential rains to much of the island of Hispaniola.

Cuba prepares for impact

Cuba is on high alert for the imminent impact of Hurricane Melissa, which is expected to make landfall in the eastern half of the island on Tuesday night.

The National General Staff of Civil Defense decreed the Cyclone Alarm Phase for the provinces of Guantanamo, Santiago de Cuba, Holguin, Granma, Las Tunas and Camaguey, and the Cyclone Alert for Ciego de Avila and Sancti Spiritus.

In the rest of the country, the Defense Councils were instructed to remain active in reduced composition.

More than 600,000 people are being evacuated, including cities like Santiago de Cuba, the second most populous in the country.

Authorities warn that the system will leave intense rains of up to 51 centimeters (20 inches) in some localities, especially in mountainous areas, as well as a significant storm surge on the southeastern coasts.

Strong storm surges and coastal flooding are expected in Granma and Santiago de Cuba in low-lying areas.

The Electric Union reported on the protection of photovoltaic solar parks, and throughout the central region, classes and recreational activities were suspended,and medical brigades were activated in at-risk areas.

In the case of Cuba, frequently hit by hurricanes, Melissa is also expected to be one of the most powerful cyclones to hit the country in recent years.

*With information from Vanessa Buschschluter, Will Grant, Nick Davis, and Atahualpa Amerise.

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