Hurricane Melissa: ’Storm of The Century’ To Hit Jamaica, Catastrophic Impact Expected

By Staff, Agencies

Hurricane Melissa is set to pummel Jamaica as forecasters warned the ferocious Category 5 storm would be the strongest to lash the island since records began 174 years ago.

The hurricane is expected to gather speed and batter the Caribbean country with up to 30 inches of rain when it makes landfall early Tuesday.

At least seven people have died in the Caribbean so far, including three in Jamaica, three in Haiti and one in the Dominican Republic.

“Catastrophic and life-threatening flash flooding and numerous landslides are likely,” the National Hurricane Center in Miami has warned, with maximum sustained winds expected to reach 175mph.

The World Meteorological Organization said it is expecting a “catastrophic situation” in Jamaica. “It will be the storm of the century for sure,” said WMO tropical cyclone specialist Anne-Claire Fontan.

“Many of these communities will not survive this flooding,” local government minister Desmond McKenzie said at a press conference on Monday. “Kingston is low, extremely low. No community in Kingston is immune from flooding.”