All of Jamaica has been declared a “disaster area” after the arrival of Hurricane Melissa.
Three people were k!lled before the Category 5 storm made landfall, but a government minister warned that it is too soon to know if there are more de@ths.
Melissa is one of the strongest Atlantic hurricanes ever on record and the strongest to hit the island since recordkeeping started 174 years ago, the US National Hurricane Center said.
The hurricane made landfall on Jamaica’s southern coast just after midday local time, bringing 185mph winds and persistant rain that led to massive floods.
Entire towns are now underwater, with critical infrastructure incinerated, including several hospitals.
Jamaican prime minister Andrew Holness declared the island a “disaster area” and authorities warned residents to remain sheltered over continued flooding and landslide risk, as the monstrous weather persisted even as the hurricane’s worst moved on.
The US National Hurricane Center said: “THIS IS AN EXTREMELY DANGEROUS AND LIFE-THREATENING SITUATION!”
Michael Brennan, the centre’s director, said officials expect a “very dangerous scenario” and the winds could soon be as powerful as 200mph.
The Red Cross predicts that the “storm of the century” will likely affect 1,500,000 people in Jamaica alone.
Lisa Sangster, a 30-year-old communications specialist in Kingston, said her home was devastated by the storm.
She said: “My sister… explained that parts of our roof was blown off and other parts caved in and the entire house was flooded.
“Outside structures like our outdoor kitchen, dog kennel and farm animal pens were also gone, destroyed.”
The scale of the damage is not yet clear: a comprehensive assessment could take days and much of the island is still without power, with communications networks badly disrupted.
Jamaica’s climate change minister told CNN that Melissa’s effect was “catastrophic,” citing flooded homes and “severely damaged public infrastructure” and hospitals.
Mathue Tapper, 31, warned that those in the capital were lucky but feared for fellow Jamaicans in the island’s more rural areas.
“My heart goes out to the folks living on the Western end of the island,” he said.
Melissa has since weakened to a Category 4 hurricane but is still catastrophically strong and spinning over the island at 150mph.
People living in southwestern Jamaica have described the wind tearing off their roofs and tossing trees, while heavy rains flood their gardens.
Floodwater is coursing through communities across the south coast of the island, including in St Elizabeth, Manchester, Westmoreland and St James.
At least four hospitals have been damaged by the howling winds, with patients and staff on lower floors being evacuated to higher up.
All hospitals have entered emergency mode, with outpatient and elective surgeries suspended and visitations limited, health officials said.
The roof of St Elizabeth Technical High School in southwest Jamaica was partially torn off. While Black River, the capital of St Elizabeth, is “deteriorating by the minute,” its mayor said.
Jamaican weather officials have blanketed the entire country in red hurricane warnings, active until midnight, and expect hurricane conditions to lash the island well into tomorrow.
Melissa is expected to slice diagonally across the island and enter near St Elizabeth parish in the south before eventually exiting around St Ann parish in the north.
A life-threatening storm surge of up to 13 feet is also expected to hit the south of the island.
Trees, boulders, floodwater and even dangling power lines torn by the wind are blocking roads, including those to more rural, vulnerable communities.
At least 35% of Jamaican households are without power, according to the country’s only electrical provider, the Jamaica Public Service.
More than a quarter of mobile networks are offline, according to the mobile phone network Digicel, while internet connectivity is down to just 42%.
