Hurricane Melissa hit Jamaica this Tuesday (28) as a Category 5 storm. Authorities warn that the phenomenon could bring catastrophic damage to the country. See everything that is known about the storm:
What does a hurricane look like?
Hurricane Melissa made landfall near New Hope, on the coast of Jamaica, around 2 pm Brasília time. Winds of 300 km/h make the hurricane the strongest ever recorded in the country and
What happens now?
Hurricane Melissa will track directly over Jamaica for the next few hours, bringing catastrophic winds, torrential rain and possibly fatal storm surge. Central parts of Jamaica could see more than 3 feet of rain over the next two days, said Evan Thompson, principal director of the Jamaica Meteorological Service.
What is the forecast?
Storm Melissa is expected to remain a major hurricane, at least Category 3 or more, when it hits Cuba from Tuesday night until Wednesday morning (29), according to the National Hurricane Center. The southeast and central Bahamas are also expected to be affected on Wednesday.
How is the situation on the ground?
Even before arrival on the mainland, around 240,000 people were left without power due to grid strain, said Daryl Vaz, Jamaica’s minister of science, energy, telecommunications and transport.
A restaurant owner in the village of Alligator Pond, on Jamaica’s southwest coast, said “the entire coastline is gone.” Many communities were isolated. Brian Trascher of the United Cajun Navy said conditions were “rapidly worsening” before the
What do we know about the deaths?
At least three people died before the storm made landfall in Jamaica, according to the Minister of Health and Wellness. Two of the deaths were caused by falling trees and one person was electrocuted, the minister said. Another 13 people were injured. Three people in Haiti and one person in the Dominican Republic also died.
