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Extreme Flooding, Landslides Expected as Hurricane Melissa Bears Down on Jamaica

News

Hurricane Melissa

Jamaican residents were told to evacuate as Hurricane Melissa makes landfall with extreme winds and catastrophic rain and floods to follow (Photo by Associated Press).
By Olivia Lewis

Nearly 40 inches of rain are expected across Jamaica as Hurricane Melissa makes landfall.

Weather experts say the Category 5 hurricane will be the worst recorded tropical cyclone to hit the Caribbean country. Deaths have already been reported in Dominican Republic and Haiti. Melissa’s wind speeds increased drastically over the weekend, and the storm was bearing down on Jamaica on Tuesday morning. Evacuation orders are in effect, as the extreme wind, rain, and storm surge of up to 13 feet in some areas will cause severe floods and destruction across the country.

The National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration issued warnings of life-threatening conditions.

“This is an extremely dangerous and life-threatening situation! Take cover now!” NOAA said in a printed statement on Tuesday morning. “Failure to adequately shelter may result in serious injury, and loss of life.”

NOAA also advised residents who were unable to evacuate not to leave their homes, as winds and floods will become stronger after the eye of the storm has passed.

Andrew Schroeder, Vice President Research and Analysis at Direct Relief, said that the country’s eastern mountain region is at a high risk for life-threatening landslides from the intense rainfall. Residents in this area will be the most vulnerable as blocked roadways, power outages and interrupted broadband and cellular service are expected.

Google Flood Hub is predicting that the country will experience its highest river levels to date. Schroeder said that even though data from the search engine only dates back 45 years, water levels along the coast are already higher than previous storms.

“There is no comparison in Google’s data,” he said. “These levels are peaking right now.”

The last catastrophic storm to hit the country was Hurricane Gilbert, a Category 4 hurricane in 1988 that killed at least 40 people in Jamaica. The disastrous storm inspired updated infrastructure; however, Schroeder says even those updates may not be enough compared to the devastation Melissa will bring. For comparison, Katrina’s wind speeds were 125 miles per hour at its peak. Melissa’s are already much higher.

“At the wind speeds they’re now forecasting of 185 miles per hour, that (infrastructure updates) may not matter very much,” he said.

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