Hurricane Melissa UPDATES: Storm Surges Towards Cuba as Jamaica hit by 185mph Gales
By Christopher Bucktin (United States), Editor – Tim Hanlon (News Reporter)
Hurricane Melissa has made landfall in Jamaica, bringing winds of up to 185mph – making it officially the strongest storm on record to hit the Caribbean island
“Catastrophic” Hurricane Melissa is now heading towards Cuba and the Bahamas after making landfall in Jamaica with winds reaching nearly 200mph.
Jamaican Prime Minister Andrew Holness declared the nation a “disaster area” yesterday after the strongest storm to ever hit the country flattened homes and businesses. Hundreds of Brit tourists are today on lockdown inside hotels in Jamaica and communities are cut off amid major flooding.
Seven people died in the preparation of the hurricane, though no deaths are as yet reported following Melissa making landfall on the island.
Murdered Stephen Lawrence’s dad Neville and the family of Chelsea star Raheem Sterling were among 58,000 Brits on the island, some residents, others visitors, when the storm struck.
02:40 Bradley Jolly
Brits in Jamaica reminded to follow UK’s travel advice
Speaking in the Commons yesterday, Foreign Secretary Yvette Cooper said: “The FCDO stands ready to help British nationals 24/7.
“We have set up a crisis centre in the Foreign Office, including with support from the (Ministry of Defence), and also we are positioning specialist rapid deployment teams to provide consular assistance to British nationals in the region.
“Any British nationals who are there should follow our travel advice and the advice of the Jamaican authorities.
“There are 50,000 dual nationals who live in Jamaica, up to 8,000 British citizens who may be travelling there or may be on holiday there.”
02:05 KEY EVENT
Jamaica declared a ‘disaster area’ following Hurricane Melissa
Jamaican Prime Minister Andrew Holness has declared the nation a “disaster area” .
He is looking to “prevent any exploitation at a time when citizens are securing food, water and supplies.” The declaration comes into effect today.
As part of the declaration, the government has renewed a trade order which will prohibit any price gouging during recovery efforts and the subsequent clean up.
Prime Minister Andrew Holness, pictured previously, spoke to reporters
01:16 KEY EVENT
Hurricane Melissa is now moving towards Cuba
Hurricane Melissa is now moving rapidly north towards Cuba, the largest country in the Caribbean by area and third largest by population.
Melissa is a Category 5 storm with sustained wind speeds of 185 mph (295 kph). The storm is expected to make landfall in eastern Cuba late Tuesday or early Wednesday.
Officials said there was no more preparation they could do and warned that damage assessment will be slow.
Devastating scenes pictured in Mandeville, Jamaica
01:04 Bradley Jolly
Storm Melissa’s heavy floodwaters sweep across the region
Heavy floodwaters swept across the region as wind tore roofs off buildings and boulders tumbled into roads, with landslides, fallen trees and numerous power outages reported.
In Kingston, officials warned those in the surrounding area to watch out for crocodiles that may be displaced from their natural habitat by flooding.
In a post on X, the NHC warned that it is an “extremely dangerous and life-threatening situation” and that “catastrophic winds, flash flooding and storm surge” were ongoing in the country.
The centre said residents should remain in their shelter overnight and advised that an interior room without windows, where falling trees can also be avoided, was the safest place within a building.
00:17 Bradley Jolly
Thousands of British tourists remain stranded in Jamaica
Thousands of British tourists remain stranded in Jamaica after Hurricane Melissa, one of the strongest Atlantic hurricanes in history, wreaked havoc on the Caribbean island.
As many as 8,000 British citizens are in the country, with people ordered to stay inside to avoid the world’s strongest storm of the year so far, which left “catastrophic winds” and “flash flooding” in its wake.
On Tuesday, the US National Hurricane Centre (NHC) in Miami said Melissa was “one of the most powerful hurricane landfalls on record in the Atlantic basin” as the storm hit south-western Jamaica near New Hope with sustained winds of 185mph.
Hurricane Melissa has unleashed winds as strong as 185mph
Original source: https://www.mirror.co.uk/news/world-news/hurricane-melissa-live-updates-jamaica-36142315