Kingston [Jamaica], October 26 (ANI/WAM): Hurricane Melissa quickly strengthened into a serious Class 3 hurricane because it unleashed torrential rain within the northern Caribbean and threatened catastrophic flooding and landslides in Jamaica and southern Haiti.
US forecasters warned that the slow-moving Melissa is anticipated to strengthen additional and be a serious hurricane when making landfall in Jamaica early subsequent week. It must be close to or over Cuba by the center of the week.
‘I urge Jamaicans to take this climate risk severely,’ mentioned Jamaican Prime Minister Andrew Holness. ‘Take all measures to guard your self.’
Melissa was centred about 125 miles (200 kilometres) south-southeast of Kingston, Jamaica, and about 280 miles (455 kilometres) west-southwest of Port-au-Prince, Haiti, late Saturday evening. It had most sustained winds of 115 mph (185 kph) and was transferring west at 3 mph (6 kph), the hurricane centre mentioned.
Melissa was anticipated to drop torrential rains of as much as 30 inches on Jamaica and southern Hispaniola – Haiti and the Dominican Republic – in keeping with the hurricane centre.
The Cuban authorities on Saturday afternoon issued a hurricane look ahead to the provinces of Granma, Santiago de Cuba, Guantanamo and Holguin.
The erratic and slow-moving storm has killed a minimum of three folks in Haiti and a fourth individual within the Dominican Republic, the place one other individual stays lacking.
‘Sadly for locations alongside the projected path of this storm, it’s more and more dire,’ Jamie Rhome, Centre’s Deputy Director, mentioned earlier on Saturday. He mentioned the storm will proceed to maneuver slowly for as much as 4 days.
Authorities in Jamaica mentioned on Saturday that the Norman Manley Worldwide Airport in Kingston will probably be closed at 8 pm native time.
Greater than 650 shelters had been activated in Jamaica. Officers mentioned warehouses throughout the island had been well-stocked and 1000’s of meals packages prepositioned for fast distribution if wanted.
The storm has broken practically 200 houses within the Dominican Republic and knocked out water provide techniques, affecting greater than half 1,000,000 prospects. It additionally downed timber and visitors lights, unleashed a few small landslides and left greater than two dozen communities remoted by floodwaters. (ANI/WAM)
