Hurricane Melissa approaches rare Category 5, threatens heavy floods in Jamaica, Haiti
The US National Hurricane Center said the hurricane has the possibility of intensifying into a rare Category 5 storm.
Hurricane Melissa on Sunday strengthened into a major Category 4 hurricane. The US National Hurricane Center said it has the possibility of intensifying into a rare Category 5 storm, and unleashing torrential rainfall and cause heavy flooding in the northern Caribbean, including Haiti and Jamaica, the Associated Press reported.
As of Sunday morning, Melissa was centred about 120 miles south-southeast of Kingston in Jamaica and about 280 miles south-southwest of Guantanamo, Cuba.
The slow-moving storm has already killed at least three people in Haiti and a fourth person in Dominican Republic, where a person also remains missing.
The US NHC has urged the people on the island to seek shelter immediately, with Melissa likely to reach the southern coast of Jamaica as a major hurricane late Monday or Tuesday morning.
Jamaican Prime Minister Andrew Holness also asked people to “take this weather threat seriously”, and take all possible measures to protect themselves, according to AP.
The hurricane on Sunday had maximum sustained winds of 140 mph, and was moving west at 5 mph, according to the hurricane center.
The center said that the hurricane will bring torrential rains of up to 30 inches on Jamaica and southern Hispaniola – Haiti and Dominican Republic. Some areas might see as much as 40 inches of rain.
It further warned of extensive damage to infrastructure, including power and communication outages, with chances of isolation of communities in Jamaica, AP reported.
Melissa will likely be located near or over Cuba by late Tuesday, where it might potentially bring up to 12 inches of rain, and move towards the Bahamas later Wednesday.
The Cuban government on Saturday afternoon issued a hurricane watch for provinces of Granma, Santiago de Cuba, Guantanamo and Holguin.
More than 650 shelters have already been activated in Jamaica, with officials saying the warehouses in the island were well-stocked and thousands of food packages propositioned for quick distribution if necessary, according to AP.
