Jamaicans have already begun seeking shelter as Hurricane Melissa, the world’s most powerful storm this year, approaches Jamaica as it moves northeast through the Caribbean Sea. For days, Jamaicans waited and braced for the hurricane’s arrival as satellite images showed the massive storm strengthening and slowly closing in on the island.

In the eye of the hurricane

The eye wall of the hurricane is south of Jamaica and much of the island is already under tropical storm conditions.

Live image from Kingston

The Category 5 storm, moving very slowly at just 3.2 km/h (2 mph) to the northeast, is approaching the coast amid warnings of catastrophic flooding, landslides and widespread damage to infrastructure. Already three people have lost their lives in Jamaica from the storms and four in Haiti and the Dominican Republic.

Current sustained wind speeds are 282 km/h (175 mph) with higher gusts.

The Jamaicans are running to the shelters

In recent hours, the Jamaican government has imposed mandatory evacuation order in several areas, including the coastal town of Port Royal. The airport has been closed and international aid agencies such as the United Nations World Food Program are already coordinating with the Jamaican government – which says it has an emergency budget of $33 million. However, there are also those who, despite the warnings of the authorities, do not want to leave their homes.

How the hurricane will move

The slow-moving giant typhoon, the strongest hurricane to hit Jamaica since records began in 1851, is expected to cut diagonally across the island, entering near St. Elizabeth Parish in the south and exiting around St. Anne Parish in the north, forecasters said.

St. Elizabeth Parish is already without power as high winds knocked down power lines.

“There is no infrastructure in the area that can withstand a Category 5,” said the prime minister Andrew Holness. “The question now is the speed of the recovery. That’s the challenge.”

Late Monday, the storm was located about 240 km southwest of Kingston and about 530 km southwest of Guantanamo Bay, Cuba, with maximum sustained winds of 280 km/h. It was moving northeast at 4 kph, according to the US National Hurricane Center in Miami.

Jamaica

Flooding is the biggest risk

Parts of eastern Jamaica could see up to a meter of rain, while western Haiti could see 40 centimeters, according to the US National Hurricane Center. “Devastating flash floods and numerous landslides are possible.”

A life-threatening storm surge of up to 4 meters is expected across southern Jamaica, with officials worried about the impact on some hospitals along the coastline. Health Minister Christopher Tufton said some patients were moved from the ground floor to the second floor, “and [ελπίζουμε] that this will be sufficient for any wave that occurs.”

Jamaica

The director of the Jamaica Meteorological Service, Evan Thompson, warned that no part of the island was likely to be spared from Melissa.

Southern Haiti could see up to 30 cm of rain, while parts of eastern Cuba could see up to 70 cm, enough to cause widespread flooding and landslides.