Danger on a tourist island. Airports are not working, people were evacuated
A well-known tourist place is to be hit by a hurricane of unimaginable strength. Many people are at risk and tourists are not invited there now. Special measures were initiated.
I’m talking about Caribbean Jamaica and its surroundings. Hurricane Melissa is expected to arrive there next Tuesday, October 28. There were numerous evacuations last Sunday. The U.S. National Hurricane Center (NHC) said the storm “could cause life-threatening and catastrophic flooding and landslides in parts of Jamaica and southern Hispaniola.”
Jamaica in danger
The difficult situation has been present at least since Sunday, October 26. Strong winds are already felt on the island. On Tuesday, it is expected to reach a speed of 257 km/h, which promises to be the strongest hurricane in Jamaica’s history. So far, the most powerful storm was Gilbert in 1988, which brought gusts of 209 km/h. Additionally, up to 102 cm of rain could potentially fall around Jamaica and Haiti. It is also expected to be dangerous in parts of southern Hispaniola (an island divided into Haiti and the Dominican Republic) and Cuba.
The island country in question is a very touristic place. It is located in the Caribbean Sea in the Greater Antilles archipelago, south of Cuba and west of Haiti. Visitors appreciate there, among others: a waterfall on Dunn’s River, a lagoon, or a mountain. This not always safe paradise is also loved by lovers of reggae, a musical genre that had its origins there.
People had to be evacuated from many of these famous places, and all airports in Jamaica and Cuba were closed. By immediate order of the Prime Minister of Jamaica, Dr. Andreu Holness, threatened are, among others, residents of the capital Kingston and, among others, Port Royal and Old Harbor Bay.
The U.S. National Hurricane Center warned of “extensive infrastructure damage, prolonged power and communications outages, and community isolation” in Jamaica and nearby islands.
Melissa has been a threat for a long time
Hurricane Melissa began as a group of storms off the coast of West Africa that moved west and developed into a tropical low, reaching tropical storm status north of Venezuela. Now the wind is strengthening and moving west across the Caribbean Sea.
AccuWeather specialists do not rule out that Melissa will reach the United States, and then the southern part of Florida will be most at risk.
