Hurricane Melissa Reaches Category 5 Strength and Threatens Strong Impact in Jamaica
Hurricane Melissa is moving toward Jamaica as a Category 5 storm where it could make landfall Monday night or early Tuesday morning
Hurricane Melissa reached Category 5 strength on the Saffir-Simpson scale on Monday as it moved dangerously close to Jamaica with sustained winds of 160 miles per hour (260 km/h), the US National Hurricane Center (NHC) said. The center The cyclone was located about 125 miles (205 kilometers) south-southwest of Kingston and is moving slowly west at 4 miles per hour (6 km/h), with a minimum central pressure of 27.1 inches of mercury (917 millibars), confirming its extreme intensity.
Melissa's impact is expected in Jamaica
It is expected to make landfall between Monday night and early Tuesday morning, before moving towards southeastern Cuba and the Bahamas archipelago. The NHC warned that Melissa could generate storm surges of between 9 and 13 feet (2.7 to 4 meters), catastrophic flooding and rainfall of 15 to 40 inches (400 to 1,000 millimeters), with the risk of landslides in mountainous areas.
Jamaica maintains hurricane watch
Jamaican authorities maintain a hurricane watch and ask the population to remain in safe shelters and avoid unnecessary travel. "I want to ask Jamaicans to take this seriously," said Desmond McKenzie, vice president of the Jamaica Disaster Risk Management Council.
Melissa leaves destruction and death in Haiti and the Dominican Republic
The hurricane has already wreaked havoc in the Caribbean: three people died in Haiti, one in the Dominican Republic and another is still missing, while more than a million Dominican users remain without water.
In Cuba, the provinces of Granma, Santiago de Cuba, Guantanamo and Holguin are under a hurricane warning, as are the southeastern Bahamas and the Turks and Caicos Islands. Haiti and the Cuban province of Las Tunas remain under a tropical storm watch. Evan Thompson, director of the Jamaica Meteorological Service, warned that mudslides and flooding could delay emergency efforts and block key roads in the country. Melissa is shaping up to be the most powerful hurricane in recent history to directly hit Jamaica,where authorities have reinforced shelters and suspended classes in anticipation of an imminent impact.