Jamaicans and Haitians were bracing for the passage of Tropical Storm Melissa that is expected to rapidly intensify into a major hurricane this weekend.
Weather officials warned of life threatening and catastrophic flash flooding and landslides expected in portions of southern Hispaniola and Jamaica through the weekend.
The Miami-based National Hurricane Center (NHC) said that the storm is 215 miles, south east of Kingston, and about 225 miles south west of Port au Prince, the Haitian capital.
In Haiti, the Civil Protection Department reported that two people died and another was injured in a landslide in Fontamara, Port-au-Prince, bringing the number of victims of severe weather to three dead and five injured in the past 48 hours.
“Tropical Storm Melissa exposes the Grand South and West departments to high risks of flooding and landslides, particularly threatening precarious housing and isolated communities. Road infrastructure, already vulnerable in low-lying areas and near rivers, could experience significant disruptions.
“In addition, coastal communities risk significant material damage due to hurricane-like swells and strong winds. This situation requires maximum vigilance and increased preparedness,” the authorities warn.
Jamaica’s Prime Minister Andrew Holness said the government would be imposing several measures under the Disaster Risk Management Act (DRMA) to help save lives and properties.
He said that the DRMA provides “certain powers” that thegovernment and other state entities “will use for the protection of lives and property”.
In addition, he is warning people against engaging in price gouging as the population stock up on non-perishable and other essential items amid fears that “there may be persons tempted to raise their prices”.
“We will not have that in a disaster, and there the minister of industry, investment and commerce will shortly sign an order to this effect,” Holness said.
In its latest bulletin, the NHC said that a Hurricane Watch is in effect for the southwestern peninsula of Haiti from the border with the Dominican Republic to Port-Au-Prince and Jamaica
“Melissa is moving slowly toward the north near two miles per hour (mph) and that a turn to the west is forecast on Saturday and this general motion is expected to continue through Monday.
“A turn to the north and northeast is forecast on Tuesday and Wednesday. On the forecast track, the center of Melissa is expected to move near or over Jamaica early next week and could be near or over eastern Cuba by the middle of next week”
The NHC said that the maximum sustained winds have increased to near 65 mph with higher gusts. “Rapid intensification is now forecast over the next several days, and Melissa is forecast to become a hurricane tomorrow and a major hurricane by Sunday,” it added.
The NHc said that hurricane conditions are possible within the watch area in Haiti later this weekend and Jamaica beginning late this weekend or early next week.
“Tropical storm conditions are expected to begin in Haiti tonight or Saturday and in Jamaica late Saturday into Sunday,”it said, adding that “Melissa is expected to bring total rainfall of 15 to 25 inches to portions of southern Hispaniola and Jamaica through Tuesday, with local maxima of 35 inches possible across the Tiburon Peninsula of Haiti.
“Additional heavy rainfall is likely beyond Tuesday. The uncertainty at that time range precludes exact storm totals. Potentially catastrophic flash flooding and landslides are
possible across portions of Jamaica and the southern Dominican Republic, while catastrophic flash flooding is anticipated in southern Haiti.”
Police Commissioner Dr Kevin Blake says the hurricane preparedness plan of the Jamaica Constabulary Force (JCF), has been fully activated and members will be deployed to protect critical infrastructure .
“Our operational response which includes our quick response, our highway patrol and mobile units are briefed and ready for deployment. We have reviewed and updated our shelter security plans,” Blake told a media briefing on Friday,” adding “we also have an operational management team specifically looking at the Corporate Area given the number of vital infrastructure that exist there”.
He said that the JCF’s highway patrol has been dispatched to monitor key arterial routes and flood-prone corridors, while “mobile patrols will maintain security in our business and residential districts and the quick response unit stands ready to support evacuation, rescue and post-impact security”.
Hoteliers and loccal tourism stakeholders are also bracing for the passage of the weather system.
Tourism Minister, Edmund Bartlett, urged all stakeholders to act with safety as the priority, describing preparedness as the foundation of recovery.
Bartlett noted that the ministry is working closely with the Office of Disaster Preparedness and Emergency Management (ODPEM) and the Meteorological Service of Jamaica to safeguard the sector.
“Resilience has been our trademark… our rallying cry. It has long been at the heart of our tourism success. We have learnt from experience that preparedness is key.
“I urge all our stakeholders… all our tourism workers… to activate their internal disaster risk management systems and ensure that safety remains the top priority,” he said, adding “let us remain calm, vigilant, and united in our efforts to protect both our people and our industry. Remember the mantra. Preparation, not panic”.
