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Posted on 10/27/2025 5:18:08 PM PDT by Red Badger
Officials have urged residents to stay indoors, avoid floodwaters and follow evacuation orders
HURRICANE Melissa has exploded into a monstrous category five storm and is now charging towards Jamaica.
The horror storm is threatening to unleash catastrophic flooding, deadly landslides and towering storm surges across the Caribbean.
The slow-moving hurricane roared across the warm waters of the Caribbean over the weekend, doubling in strength and becoming one of the strongest storms ever recorded in the region.
With winds now raging at 160 mph, Melissa was sitting about 130 miles south of Kingston, Jamaica, late Sunday and crawling westward at just 3 mph – a sluggish pace that could prove disastrous.
Forecasters warned the storm would make landfall early Tuesday, potentially as the most powerful hurricane to ever hit Jamaica.
Desmond McKenzie, minister of local government, said: “Many of these communities will not survive this flooding.
“Kingston is low, extremely low… No community in Kingston is immune from flooding.”
“Those in Jamaica need to seek shelter now,” the U.S. National Hurricane Center (NHC) urged.
“Damaging winds and heavy rainfall today and on Monday will cause catastrophic and life-threatening flash flooding and numerous landslides before potentially devastating winds arrive Monday night and Tuesday morning.”
The island is bracing for the full force of Melissa’s triple threat – extreme rainfall, hurricane-force winds and surging seas.
Up to 30 inches (76 cm) of rain are expected across much of Jamaica, with eastern regions possibly drowning under 40 inches (1 metre), according to the NHC.
Storm surges of 9 to 13 feet could slam into Jamaica’s southern coast, particularly east of where the eye makes landfall, creating life-threatening coastal flooding.
“I want to urge Jamaicans to take this seriously,” said Desmond McKenzie, deputy chairman of the island’s Disaster Risk Management Council. “Do not gamble with Melissa. It’s not a safe bet.”
The government issued mandatory evacuation orders on Sunday evening for several vulnerable coastal communities, including parts of Kingston.
“There is nowhere that will escape the wrath of this hurricane,” warned Evan Thompson, principal director of Jamaica’s Meteorological Service.
“It’s going to sit there, pouring water while it’s barely moving – and that is a significant challenge… as long as what is predicted does take place.”
Prime Minister Andrew Holness echoed the warning, writing on X: “Now is the time to secure your home, check your roof, windows, and surroundings. Use sandbags or plywood where needed and clear any overhanging branches safely.
“If you live in a flood-prone area, take protective measures and have an evacuation plan ready.”
All public hospitals have been placed in emergency mode, halting outpatient and elective procedures to free up beds, Health Minister Christopher Tufton said.
Emergency shelters are now open nationwide for those in flood-prone or coastal zones, McKenzie added.
The country’s main airports have also shut down ahead of the storm.
Norman Manley International in Kingston closed Saturday night, while Sangster International in Montego Bay followed on Sunday, confirmed Transport Minister Daryl Vaz.
“Melissa could be the strongest hurricane Jamaica has experienced in decades,” said Evan Thompson.
He noted that Hurricane Gilbert hit the island as a Category 3 in 1988, while two more recent Category 4 storms – Ivan and Beryl – never made landfall.
That makes Melissa a historic threat – the first Category 4 or 5 hurricane to strike Jamaica in living memory.
The monster storm has already caused chaos on the island of Hispaniola, claiming three lives in Haiti and one in the Dominican Republic, where another person remains missing.
In the Dominican Republic, schools and government offices are closed across several provinces, and more than 750 homes have been damaged, leaving 3,760 people displaced.
Floodwaters have cut off at least 48 communities, officials said.
In Haiti, Melissa destroyed crops in three regions, including 15 hectares (37 acres) of maize – a devastating blow as more than 5.7 million Haitians face crisis levels of hunger.
Flooding is blocking access to farmland and markets, threatening the winter harvest, according to the U.N.’s Food and Agriculture Organization.
Locals in Kingston spent the weekend rushing to prepare.
Fishermen secured boats while city workers cleared trash and silt from Sandy Gully, a 20-kilometre waterway that could overflow and split the capital in two.
“Slow movement still cause a lot of damage, right?” said fisherman Clive Davis.
“Different from Beryl, cause Beryl come with a speed and never stay too long. Just sweep through. But this now, she wants to come stay, visit Jamaica for three days, why?”
“It’s gonna slow down business, but it’s nature,” he added. “We can’t fight against nature, right?”
The NHC warned that catastrophic flash flooding and numerous landslides are likely across Jamaica and Haiti through Tuesday.
Western Haiti could see 16 inches (40 cm) of rainfall, while eastern Cuba may receive up to 20 inches (51 cm).
Melissa’s center is forecast to cross Jamaica on Tuesday, then move over southeast Cuba Tuesday night and sweep through the southeast Bahamas on Wednesday.
A hurricane warning is now in place for Cuba’s Granma, Santiago de Cuba, Guantánamo and Holguín provinces, with a tropical storm warning issued for Las Tunas.
Up to 20 inches of rain and a significant storm surge are expected along Cuba’s southeastern coastline.
“The hurricane is expected to make another landfall later Tuesday in eastern Cuba,” said Vaz.
Melissa’s explosive growth – more than doubling in strength over the weekend – has stunned forecasters.
Experts warn this kind of rapid intensification is becoming increasingly common as ocean temperatures rise due to climate change.
Three of this season’s four Atlantic hurricanes – Erin, Gabrielle and Humberto – have all undergone similar explosive strengthening.
Though the U.S. mainland is not expected to be directly hit, the NHC warned rough surf and rip currents will spread along the East Coast next week.
“Don’t make foolish decisions,” warned Jamaica’s Transport Minister Daryl Vaz. “We are in a very, very serious time over the next few days.”
Officials have urged residents to stay indoors, avoid floodwaters and follow evacuation orders.
“This storm is not just powerful – it’s relentless,” Thompson said. “It’s going to test Jamaica in a way we haven’t seen in generations.”
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What is Kalama H doing to help her people ?
Should have been named Hurricane Kamala.
About 1000 people from Gitmo have been evacuated here to Pensacola Naval Base................
MONSTROUS!!! Cat 5 wind field is 5 miles wide. Hurricane winds are 30 miles wide. Kingston will get a windy rainstorm.
MEDIA FEAR PORN!!
Evacuate to where?
It's an island shared with the Dominican Republic. GET OUT where?
This will cost the US big money.
I saw a film clip of people in a small fishing village on a spit of land that was projecting out into the Atlantic. The Jamaicans basically shrugged and said, “We get storms all the time. We’ll be fine.”
Seems like this time is going to be very different.
The fear is it will hit Jamaica and just sit and stall destroying everything on the island..............
That’s Haiti. Jamaica is all by itself...............
Maximum sustained winds 175 mph...................
The Jamaican government officials are right.
Lots of rain can cause trees to tip over.
Kamala needs to rent a dinghy and row over to get her family and take them to Venezuela to live.
I knew they had to inject that into it somewhere.
Any prisoners?
Wait, don’t answer that. The ACLU will try to get a court order to let them stay stateside.
They can’t handle the truth.
“Evacuate to where?”
With relatives who live on higher ground.
I live in Florida. I don’t think my pre-Andrew house can withstand 150mph winds. I think 130mph is about the max.
You do know the prediction is for areas to get over 30 inches of rain.
Experts at what? Experts like Greta Thunberg?
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