The powerful Hurricane Melissa is strengthening again and is heading towards Cuba, where it is expected to make landfall early this Wednesday, October 29, after severely hitting Jamaica, classified as a “disaster zone” by the authorities.
The storm was downgraded to category 3 on a scale of 5 after passing through Jamaican lands, which weakened its winds. It has since returned to category 4, announced the US National Hurricane Center (NHC).
“Melissa is expected to remain a strong hurricane as it passes through Cuba, the Bahamas and near Bermuda,” the NHC said in its latest bulletin late Tuesday.
People in Cuba flee the coast as the hurricane approaches. Local authorities have declared a “state of alert” in six provinces in the east of the country and residents have been trying since Monday to stock up on food, candles and batteries.
“We buy bread, spaghetti, minced meat. This cyclone is serious, but we will overcome it,” said Graciela Lamaison, met by AFP in Santiago de Cuba, a province in the southeast of the island.
In Haiti, east of Cuba, authorities ordered the closure of schools, businesses and administrations on Wednesday. Even before making landfall on Tuesday in Jamaica, the hurricane killed three people there, as well as three others in Haiti and one in the Dominican Republic.
“All of Jamaica has suffered the devastating effects”
Melissa hit western Jamaica hard on Tuesday when it was in category 5, the highest on the Saffir-Simpson scale. Its sustained winds then blew at almost 300 km/h.
This is the worst hurricane to hit Jamaica since weather records began. Prime Minister Andrew Holmes declared the island a “disaster zone.”
Saint Elizabeth, a parish located in the southwest of the island, populated by 150,000 people and the “breadbasket of Jamaica”, was submerged, according to Desmond McKenzie, a local elected official, during a press conference.
“The damage in Saint Elizabeth is considerable (…) all of Jamaica has suffered the devastating effects of Melissa,” he added, specifying that several hospitals were damaged.
“Part of our roof was blown away by the wind, another part collapsed, the whole house was flooded. Outer buildings such as the animal enclosures or the kitchen were also destroyed,” Lisa Sangster, a resident of the area, told AFP.
“Water kills many more people than wind.”
In Saint Catherine, in central Jamaica, the Copper River overflowed and strong winds tore down fences and roofs, an AFP photographer noted.
Kingston, the capital, was relatively spared, according to Mathue Tapper, a 31-year-old resident. “I have the impression that the worst is over,” he told AFP, although he was very concerned about rural areas.
Extremely violent storms, as well as severe coastal flooding and heavy rain with the potential to cause catastrophic landslides, were expected across the country. Authorities asked people to be on the lookout for crocodiles, which could pose a threat due to flooding.
In these types of disasters, “water kills many more people than wind,” recalled meteorologist Kerry Emanuel, highlighting the role played by climate change.
By warming the seas, it causes more storms to intensify rapidly, as was the case with Hurricane Melissa. The last major hurricane to hit Jamaica was Gilbert, in September 1988. Less powerful than Melissa, it killed 40 people and caused enormous damage.
Source: BFM TV
