Kingston [Jamaica], October 28 : With Hurricane Melissa expected to make landfall on Tuesday morning, Jamaican Prime Minister Andrew Holness gave a call for people to follow government advisories and shared the disaster preparedness measures made by the country.
In a series of posts and video messages shared on X, Prime Minister Andrew Holness shared that the hurricane warning remains in effect as "extremely dangerous Hurricane Melissa continues to threaten Jamaica".
He said that the hurricane is expected to produce rainfall amounts reaching 15-3 inches over parts of Jamaica in the next couple of days, with "catastrophic flash floods and landslides likely", and reminded small craft operators, including fishers, to remain in safe harbours until all warning messages have been lifted and conditions return to normal.
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The PM shared Jamaica's Minister of Local Government and Community Development, Desmond McKenzie's remarks, who reported that there are over 800 shelters across Jamaica, but only 76 are currently in use, housing 972 people.
https://x.com/AndrewHolnessJM/status/1982982424960082005
According to CNN, the rare Category 5 has winds of 175 mph, with stronger gusts, making it the strongest storm on the planet this year.
Hurricane Melissa underwent extreme rapid intensification over the weekend and continues to strengthen. Mandatory evacuation orders have been issued for vulnerable coastal areas of Jamaica before the storm makes landfall on Tuesday morning.
The hurricane has already killed three people in Haiti and Jamaica each and one person in the Dominican Republic.
It further reported that beyond Jamaica, Melissa is still forecast to slam Cuba as a major hurricane late Tuesday night or early Wednesday morning. From there, it will impact portions of the Bahamas and surrounding areas.
Citing the Hurricane Center, it noted that the core of Melissa is expected to move near or over Jamaica on Tuesday, across southeastern Cuba on Wednesday morning, and across the southeastern or central Bahamas later on Wednesday, according to the hurricane centre.
A hurricane warning remains in effect for the southeastern and central Bahamas, while a tropical storm warning is in effect for the Turks and Caicos Islands. These warnings indicate powerful wind gusts are likely to start within 36 hours.
Hurricane Melissa is a ferocious Category 5 storm spinning about 150 miles southwest of Kingston, Jamaica, with sustained winds of 175 mph. It is one of the most intense hurricanes ever recorded in the Atlantic Ocean, CNN said in its report.
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