Kingston [Jamaica], October 28 : Hurricane Melissa, a Category 5 storm, is barrelling toward Jamaica with sustained winds reaching 175 miles per hour. Meteorologists have warned that this could be the strongest hurricane in the island's recorded history, The New York Times reported.
The storm is expected to make landfall on Tuesday morning, bringing life-threatening flooding and a severe storm surge.
According to meteorological agencies, Melissa has been moving slowly across the warm waters of the Caribbean, intensifying as it approaches Jamaica. Officials have warned that the hurricane could bring rainfall measured in feet, posing a significant risk of flash floods and landslides, The New York Times reported.
Authorities have ordered the evacuation of more than one million residents from vulnerable areas and announced the closure of airports and schools across the island. Emergency response teams have been placed on high alert as the government urges citizens to follow safety advisories and monitor official updates.
US embassies in Jamaica issued an advisory asking citizens to be prepared to shelter in place, adding that the embassies will remain available for "limited emergency services" until Friday, CNN reported.
Meteorologists have predicted that once Melissa moves past Jamaica, the storm's flood threat will spread across the northern Caribbean through midweek.
Much of the northern Caribbean will face widespread flooding, impassable roads and a significant landslide risk through at least Wednesday, CNN reported.
Meanwhile, Prime Minister Andrew Holness expressed concern about whether infrastructure in some parts of the country will be able to withstand the force of Hurricane Melissa, which is barrelling toward the Caribbean island.
"It's been sitting on the south coast of Jamaica for a few days now and it is likely to turn north," Holness told CNN. "So that means it could have an impact on our shores, more to the western end of Jamaica."
Holness said that he doesn't believe there is "any infrastructure within this region that could withstand a Category 5 storm, so there could be significant dislocation."
The storm has already damaged nearly 200 homes in the Dominican Republic and knocked out water supply systems, affecting more than half a million customers. It also downed trees and traffic lights, unleashed a couple of small landslides and left more than two dozen communities isolated by floodwaters.
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