NOAA; NESDIS; STAR GOES-19 HANDOUT/EPA
A satellite image made available by the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) shows Category 5 Hurricane Melissa approaching Jamaica.
Melissa hasn’t even arrived yet and there’s already talk of recovery. Jamaica has organized 800 shelters and expects landslides and floods to affect one and a half million people. Category 5 hurricane, the highest level on the Saffir-Simpson scale, is the strongest to hit the island in 174 years.
Jamaica is preparing this Tuesday for the arrival of Hurricane Melissawhose winds exceeding 280 kilometers per hour classify it as the “storm of the century”, according to the World Meteorological Organization (WMO).
The hurricane is expected to category 5the most intense on the Saffir-Simpson scale, causes flash floods and landslides on the Caribbean island. According to the International Federation of the Red Cross (IFRC), up to 1.5 million people could be directly affected by the storm. It is the strongest hurricane to hit the island since records began, 174 years ago.
🌀 has intensified to Cat. 5 strength in the Caribbean.
WMO and its partners, including , are working together to support countries in the path of the storm.
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— World Meteorological Organization (@WMO)
Strong winds and several power outages have already been reported in the country. Meteorologists say the hurricane is expected to actually make landfall throughout the day and cross the island diagonally. Until this Tuesday morning, there had been recorded seven deaths in the Caribbean due to the effects of Melissa, three of them in Jamaica, three in Haiti and one in the Dominican Republic, where one person remains missing.
Fragile infrastructures
The United States National Hurricane Center (NHC) also predicts that “catastrophic” winds will hit the island this Tuesday, with the potential to cause long periods of interruption to power supplies and communications, as well as “extensive damage to infrastructure”. Up to one meter of torrential rain is predicted, with effects also expected in Cuba.
The Jamaican government is also preparing for widespread damage. “There is no infrastructure in the region capable of withstanding a Category 5 hurricane. The question now is the speed of recovery. That is the challenge”said Prime Minister Andrew Holness.
“Today will be a very difficult day for tens of thousands, if not millions of people in Jamaica,” said IFRC’s Necephor Mghendi. “Roofs will be put to the test, waters will rise and isolation will become a harsh reality for many.”
According to the person responsiblemore than 800 shelters were prepared to evacuate residents from the most affected areas. “The main priority was to move people out of harm’s way to reduce the number of casualties.”
The intense rains expected from Melissa, combined with strong winds, could cause devastation comparable to that of historic hurricanes, such as , in 2017, or Katrinain 2005, which caused impacts in Puerto Rico and the North American city of New Orleans, respectively. Scientists say that climate change caused by human action has intensified these large hurricanes, increasing their frequency.
