Hurricane Melissa” hits Jamaica: devastating destruction threatens!

Hurricane Melissa” hits Jamaica: devastating destruction threatens!

Jamaica is currently preparing for the approaching hurricane “Melissa”, which is considered the most severe storm that could ever directly hit the Caribbean country. Loud North Sea newspaper “Melissa” is expected next Tuesday morning with wind speeds of up to 280 km/h. Prime Minister Andrew Holness warned the population of a “devastating disaster” and called on everyone to stay at home.

The storm, which was located 245 kilometers southwest of Kingston on Monday evening, has now reached the highest level on the Saffir-Simpson hurricane scale - Category 5. This means that enormous destruction is expected from destructive winds, storm surges and catastrophic flooding. Storm surges of up to four meters are forecast on Jamaica's coasts, while numerous landslides and floods are expected, putting severe strain on infrastructure.

Preparations and evacuations

Authorities have already cut off electricity to over 50,000 households to minimize the risk of accidents. Evacuations were ordered in several towns and the Red Cross warned of “potentially unprecedented consequences” for the country’s approximately 2.8 million residents. Nearly 900 emergency shelters have been set up by Civil Defense to provide shelter to affected citizens while Kingston Airport is closed.

In the days before the hurricane's arrival, there were already tragic incidents: three people died while felling trees. Heavy rains also left at least four people dead in Haiti and the Dominican Republic, adding to the worrying situation in the region.

Climate change as a factor

The drama of “Melissa” is not an isolated case. Again Deutschlandfunk illuminated, it shows that climate change is increasing the intensity of storms. Tropical cyclones require warm ocean waters, and the presence of water temperatures of at least 26 degrees Celsius favors their development. Meat suspicious probabilities of such events have increased significantly due to global warming.

Hurricane season in the Atlantic lasts from early June to late November and hosts powerful storms year after year. Experts fear that with our Earth having already warmed by 1.3 degrees Celsius, extreme weather events will become even more common in the future. Global warming of two degrees would have catastrophic consequences.

After passing over Jamaica, “Melissa” is expected to reach southeastern Cuba on Tuesday and touch the Bahamas soon after. It remains to be seen how the region will cope with the impact of the storm and what lessons can be learned from this and future events. The warnings from the authorities are clear: preparations must be taken seriously in order to best ensure the safety of the population.