Meteorologists have warned that Hurricane Melissa, which remains at Category 4 strength, could strengthen and cause devastating flooding in the northern Caribbean.
Melissa is expected to move near or over Jamaica early Tuesday, cross Cuba and enter the southeastern Bahamas by Wednesday, the U.S. National Hurricane Center said.
The National Hurricane Center said Melissa had maximum sustained winds of 233 km/h (233 km/h) on Sunday as it moved westward, producing waves up to 3 meters (3 meters).
Officials have warned that some parts of Jamaica may be unable to withstand “catastrophic” flash flooding that could result from about 38 to 76 centimeters of rain falling on Jamaica and the southern Caribbean’s second-largest island, Hispaniola, by Wednesday.
Hurricane Melissa is expected to make landfall in Jamaica on Monday evening or Tuesday morning and is expected to become a Category 5 hurricane. the strongest storm Bureau of Meteorology Director Evan Thompson said it was a record for the Caribbean island nation.
Residents are on high alert
In response, some Jamaican residents began taking precautions and tried to stockpile enough food to weather the storm.
Desmond McKenzie, who leads the Jamaican government’s disaster response, said all of Jamaica’s more than 650 evacuation centers are open.
Officials said earlier that warehouses across the island were fully stocked and thousands of food packages were pre-positioned for quick distribution if needed.
Meanwhile, U.S. forecasters said Melissa’s rain intensity could weaken before making landfall in eastern Cuba on Tuesday night, where it could dump about a foot of rain, before moving into the Bahamas on Wednesday.
hurricane caveat It was issued by the Cuban government to the provinces of Holguín, Guantanamo, Santiago de Cuba, and Granma. Additionally, a tropical storm warning has been issued for the state of Las Tunas.
Last weekend, at least four people were killed by Melissa in Haiti and the Dominican Republic.
Additional sources of information • AP
