There are still no victims to be recorded, but the scenario is one of destruction in a country that is only a third of the Alentejo
It was just hours before contact when Hurricane Melissa grew to the second strongest ever in the Atlantic Ocean. The speed of around 300 kilometers per hour threatened the total destruction of Jamaica, a small Caribbean country that is no more than a third of the Alentejo.
With a pressure of 892 millibars at the center, everyone warned: what was ahead of the Jamaicans was something “catastrophic”, with the country being hit by the worst storm in its history.
And this is said about a country and a region that are more than used to dealing with the fury of Atlantic storms.
Night was beginning to fall in Portugal when the eye of the hurricane broke inland, breaking through the Treasure Beach area, still far from the capital, Kingston, which remained unaffected.
“We took every precaution we could to ensure that our citizens are safe or in certified shelters with enough supplies to get through this storm,” Robert HP Hill, one of those responsible for the island’s security planning, told CNN.
When the hurricane arrived on the island it was still category 5, the highest of all, but contact with land ended up weakening its fury, which even led to a revision to category 4.
Hours after arrival on land, there were still no reports of deaths, although the destruction is widespread and the impacts are obvious. By nightfall in Jamaica, more than half a million people were without electricity. The same is to say that a fifth of the country’s population was without electricity at home.
Monitoring the storm closely, the United States National Hurricane Center (NHC) warned Jamaicans that there was a “last chance” to protect their lives before the same impact.
“Catastrophic winds” were coming and the best thing to do was “place as many barriers to the outside as possible”. “An interior room without windows, ideally where you can escape falling trees, is the safest place to be in a building,” wrote the NCH, which even recommended the use of helmets, even inside the home.
It was even before the hurricane entered the island in full force that the first effects began to be felt. In the small town of Alligator Pond, a restaurant owner described scenes of panic and devastation to CNN.
Evrol Christian was talking on the phone while trying to figure out how he could leave the house to get to higher ground, something he had already thought about doing earlier together with his wife.
“Everyone is crying. I regret not taking the bus yesterday to go to a higher area”, he confessed, while the call could hear the gusts of wind that were crossing the area.
“The sea level is rising through the roof and we are in serious trouble,” he said, describing the situation with the following phrase: “The entire coastline is gone.”
The Prime Minister of Jamaica, Andrew Holness, had already told CNN that everyone expected “catastrophic damage”, in a speech repeated many times that had the clear intention of avoiding negligence on the part of the population.
“There is no infrastructure in this region, perhaps anywhere in the world, that can withstand a Category 5 hurricane without some damage,” he recalled.
For Jamaica, which had never experienced anything like this, the impact is “particularly direct”, particularly in the south, where the eye of the hurricane entered with full force, before starting to lose intensity. “I’m praying for the residents, we’ve been preparing and praying for the best,” added Andrew Holness.
Although the real extent of the destruction is not known, it is known that Jamaica’s infrastructure was “severely affected” by Hurricane Melissa. The assurance came from Desmond McKenzie, Minister of Local Government and Community Development.
“Jamaica is going through what could be called one of its worst periods. Our infrastructure has been seriously compromised,” said Desmond McKenzie, noting that the eye of the storm has already moved away from land.
While Jamaica’s infrastructure in urban areas like Kingston has improved over the years, rural areas and informal settlements remain vulnerable. The country’s power grid was already under pressure before the storm hit, and now hundreds of thousands of people are without power, Desmond McKenzie said.
“Elizabeth is the country’s breadbasket and was hit. All of Jamaica felt the impact of Melissa”, pointed out Desmond McKenzie.
The official also added that government officials are “on standby” and are waiting for “some level of calm” so that the country can begin cleaning and reconstruction efforts.
One of the worst scenarios comes from St. Elizabeth, a parish that is “under water” and highly damaged, with even the hospital experiencing disruptions in services.
Melissa has already passed through Jamaica and is “only” category 3, but Cuba is still preparing itself with every precaution to face the worst storm of the year. As for the effects, little is known specifically, with no victims yet to be reported, in a scenario that could change in the coming hours.
