Over the past 50 years, global emissions have been impacting the world’s natural environment. The rapid intensification of the warming ocean’s surface provides more energy to create hurricanes and fuel stronger storms. Just recently, a major storm has been brewing in Jamaica.
Early Monday, forecasters predicted a catastrophic level 5 hurricane that would ravage the island, creating life-threatening landslides and strong winds across the Caribbean. Many officials from the US have strongly urged people to go to shelters, as the storm has been forecast to last from Monday to Tuesday. As it intensifies, it is believed that Hurricane Melissa will surpass storms like Super Typhoon Ragasa, Hurricanes Erin and Humberto.
Ever since the Melissa Level 5 has occurred, winds have intensified to 160 mph. Forty inches of rain, along with 13 feet of storm surge, have been predicted to cause “extensive infrastructure damage,” according to the National Hurricane Center. These potent effects have already led to the deaths of three people in Haiti and one in the Dominican Republic.
Jamaican government official Desmond Mackenzie has been working to support the city’s people and infrastructure. He has said that on Sunday night, an evacuation was underway with 218 people already in 881 shelters. But on Monday morning, it was noted that many were still not full. Desmond Mackenzie has expressed that many people in the Jamaican community “will not survive this flooding.”
Due to these occurrences, the government has deployed resources across the island to increase recovery efforts should the remaining parts of the storm cause further damage. Mosquito spraying operations have been applied to reduce the threat of dengue and other vector-borne illnesses.
These hectic events will continue throughout the region along the Southwest coast before moving across the island over a period of six to nine hours. This will mean that Cornwall and Middlesex counties, in central and Western Jamaica, will be exposed to the most destructive weather. Its slow moving winds are guaranteed to leave lasting effects.
