KINGSTON, Jamaica (AP) — Hurricane Melissa is set to hit Jamaica on Tuesday as a catastrophic Category 5 storm, the strongest to hit the island since record keeping began 174 years ago.
The storm is expected to make landfall early Tuesday and cut diagonally across the island, entering near St. Elizabeth Parish in the south and exiting around St. Ann Parish in the north, forecasters said. Shortly after, it is expected to strike Cuba.
Hours before the storm, Jamaica’s government said it had done everything it could to prepare and warned of catastrophic damage.
Prime Minister Andrew Holness said: “There is no infrastructure in the area that can withstand Category 5.” “The question now is how quickly we can recover. That’s the challenge.”
Landslides, fallen trees and numerous power outages were reported before the storm, and officials in Jamaica warned that clean-up and damage assessment operations would be slow.
A life-threatening storm surge of up to 13 feet (4 metres) is expected across southern Jamaica, with officials concerned about its impact on some hospitals along the coast. Health Minister Christopher Tufton said some patients had been moved from the ground floor to the second floor, “and we hope that will be sufficient for any increase that will occur.”
The storm has already killed seven people in the Caribbean, including three in Jamaica, three in Haiti and one in the Dominican Republic, where another person is still missing.
Jamaica braces for catastrophic damage
Early Tuesday, Melissa’s center was about 115 miles (180 kilometers) west-southwest of Kingston and about 290 miles (465 kilometers) southwest of Guantanamo, Cuba. The system had maximum sustained winds of 175 mph (280 kph) and was moving from the northeast at 5 mph (8 kph), according to the US National Hurricane Center in Miami.
“We will get through this together,” said Evan Thompson, Principal Director of the Jamaica Meteorological Service.
Most families are sheltering in place despite government evacuation orders in flood-prone communities, said Colin Bogle, a Mercy Corps consultant based near Kingston.
“Many have never experienced anything like this before, and the uncertainty is scary,” he said. “There is a deep fear of losing homes and livelihoods, of injury, and of displacement.”
Matthew Samuda, Jamaica’s Minister of Water and Environment, said he had more than 50 generators available to deploy after the storm, but warned people to set aside clean water and use it sparingly.
“Every drop will count,” he added.
Melissa targets Cuba
Melissa is also expected to make landfall in eastern Cuba late Tuesday as a powerful hurricane.
A hurricane warning was in effect for the provinces of Granma, Santiago de Cuba, Guantanamo and Holguin, while a tropical storm warning was in effect for Las Tunas. Up to 20 inches (51 cm) of rain is expected in parts of Cuba, along with a major storm surge along the coast.
Cuban officials said Monday they were evacuating more than 600,000 people from the area, including Santiago, the island’s second-largest city.
Melissa also inundated southern areas of Haiti and the Dominican Republic, with a tropical storm warning still in effect for Haiti.
The hurricane is expected to turn northeast past Cuba and hit the southeastern Bahamas by Wednesday evening.
A hurricane warning was issued for the southeastern and central Bahamas, and a tropical storm warning was issued for the Turks and Caicos Islands.