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Jamaica is preparing for the imminent arrival of Hurricane Melissa, a powerful and slow-moving storm that has been upgraded to a Category 5 hurricane, the highest classification on the Saffir-Simpson scale. The U.S.-based National Hurricane Center (NHC) confirmed the upgrade early Monday, warning of destructive winds and catastrophic flooding expected to affect the island within hours.<\/p>\n
As of 12:00 GMT, the hurricane was located approximately 135 miles (220 kilometers) southwest of Kingston, Jamaica, with maximum sustained winds of 160 mph (260 km\/h). Forecasters cautioned that Melissa could intensify further over the next 12 to 24 hours.<\/p>\n
The storm\u2019s projected path places its core near or directly over Jamaica late Monday into Tuesday, before moving across southeastern Cuba Tuesday night and the southeastern Bahamas on Wednesday. Due to its slow movement, Melissa is expected to bring prolonged and intense rainfall, with up to 40 inches (100 centimeters) possible in some areas of Jamaica over the next four days.<\/p>\n
Authorities have expressed concern that Melissa could become the most powerful hurricane ever to strike Jamaica. In response, the government has declared the entire island “threatened” and ordered evacuations in parts of the capital, Kingston, as well as other vulnerable communities. Prime Minister Andrew Holness has directed immediate evacuations, and Minister of Local Government Desmond McKenzie confirmed that all 881 emergency shelters across the island are now open.<\/p>\n
Residents in low-lying and flood-prone areas have been urged to relocate to safer locations as forecasters warn of life-threatening storm surges and damaging winds expected overnight or early Tuesday.<\/p>\n
The hurricane has already caused significant destruction on the island of Hispaniola, which is shared by Haiti and the Dominican Republic. In Haiti, at least three people have died and hundreds of homes have been flooded due to torrential rains. In the Dominican Republic, one fatality was reported\u2014a 79-year-old man swept away by floodwaters in the capital, Santo Domingo. Additionally, a 13-year-old boy is missing after being carried away by strong currents while swimming in the sea. Several individuals were rescued after becoming trapped in vehicles amid rising floodwaters.<\/p>\n
Meanwhile, Dominica\u2019s Ministry of Education has issued an update on the safety of Dominican students currently residing in Jamaica and Cuba. Officials have been in contact with students in Jamaica since Thursday, October 23, and report that they are in safe housing, have adequate supplies, and are making necessary preparations. The Ministry is coordinating with the Students\u2019 Association to address any needs identified in the students\u2019 assessment report.<\/p>\n
In Cuba, the Dominican embassy has assured that protective measures are being implemented for foreign students, including a special protocol designed to safeguard their well-being. Dominican students in Cuba have also begun their own preparations ahead of potential hurricane impacts.<\/p>\n
The Government of Dominica has pledged to continue monitoring the situation and maintain communication with students and relevant authorities to ensure their safety.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"Jamaica is preparing for the imminent arrival of Hurricane Melissa, a powerful and slow-moving storm that has been upgraded to a Category 5 hurricane, the highest classification on the Saffir-Simpson scale. The U.S.-based National Hurricane Center (NHC) confirmed the upgrade…","protected":false},"author":15,"featured_media":351105,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_acf_changed":false,"_cbd_carousel_blocks":"[]","footnotes":""},"categories":[22,235,9,82],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-351103","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-environment","category-homepage-carousel","category-news","category-weather"],"acf":[],"yoast_head":"\n