Hurricane Melissa strengthened Monday as it barreled toward Jamaica and other parts of the Caribbean as a Category 5 storm, the highest level, with catastrophic flooding forecast and urgent calls from forecasters for residents to seek immediate shelter. Melissa has been blamed for at least four deaths in Haiti and the Dominican Republic this week as its outer bands brought intense rains and mudslides.
The storm is moving at a concerningly slow pace, meaning areas in its path could experience severe conditions for much longer than with a rapidly passing hurricane. The U.S. National Hurricane Center (NHC) reported that Melissa had maximum winds near 260 kilometers (160 miles) per hour.
Up to 1 meter (40 inches) of rain was forecast, with downpours expected to trigger flash flooding and mudslides in Jamaica, Haiti, and the Dominican Republic. “This extreme rainfall potential, due to its slow movement, is going to create a catastrophic event here in Jamaica,” Jamie Rhome, deputy director of the NHC, said in a webcast briefing.
Melissa is currently moving at just 3 mph (5 kph). “You should stay where you are and prepare to ride this out for several days,” Rhome said. “Conditions will deteriorate very, very rapidly in the next few hours. Don’t go out after sunset.”
A 79-year-old man was found dead in the Dominican Republic after being swept away by a current, authorities reported Saturday. A 13-year-old boy is missing.
In neighboring Haiti, the civil protection agency reported three deaths due to storm-induced conditions. “You feel powerless, unable to do anything, just run and leave everything behind,” Angelita Francisco, a 66-year-old housewife who fled her neighborhood in the Dominican Republic, told AFP through tears.
Floodwaters had invaded her home, causing her refrigerator to float while trash shifted around inside.
“You can’t bet against Melissa”
Jamaica was expected to experience deteriorating conditions due to Melissa through Monday, with impact expected early Tuesday. “Catastrophic and life-threatening flash flooding and numerous mudslides are expected across Jamaica,” the NHC warned.
The destructive winds will cause “extensive damage to infrastructure, prolonged power and communications outages,” he added. A storm surge of up to 4 meters (13 feet) is expected along the country’s southern coast, according to the Jamaica Meteorological Service, and mandatory evacuations have been ordered in several coastal areas of the island.
Winston Moxam was rushing to prepare his home for the storm, telling AFP that “if I lose the roof, I lose a lot of things.” He said he was particularly concerned by warnings that it could be worse than Hurricane Gilbert in 1988, which left more than 40 people dead in Jamaica and hundreds more in the Caribbean and Mexico.
Kingston International Airport closed Saturday night, as did all seaports. Government official Desmond McKenzie told a news conference that shelters had been set up across the island.
“There’s nothing more we can do as a government than beg and plead with people to heed the warning—and if it helps, I’ll get down on my knees,” he said. “This is a bet you can’t win. You can’t bet against Melissa,” he warned.
At 09:00 GMT Monday, the hurricane was located about 210 kilometers (130 miles) south-southwest of Kingston and 507 kilometers (315 miles) south-southwest of Guantanamo Bay, Cuba. After passing over Jamaica, the storm is forecast to turn north and cross eastern Cuba late Tuesday as it continues to bring rain and strong winds to Haiti and the Dominican Republic.
The Dominican Republic's emergency operations center has placed nine of its 31 provinces on red alert due to the risk of flash flooding, rising rivers, and landslides. Melissa is the 13th named storm of the Atlantic hurricane season, which runs from early June to late November.
The last major hurricane to hit Jamaica was Beryl in early July 2024, an abnormally strong storm for that time of year. Beryl brought torrential rains and strong winds to Jamaica as it passed along the island's southern coast, leaving at least four dead.
