Jamaica Assessing Damage Following Passage of Hurricane Melissa
KINGSTON, Jamaica – Jamaica is beginning the task of cleaning up on Wednesday after the category 5 hurricane Melissa left several paths of damage in its wake after slowing moving through the Caribbean island with winds in excess of 180 miles per hour (MPH) on Tuesday.
Prime Minister Andrew Holness has declared the island a “disaster area” warning of “devastating impacts” and “significant damage” to hospitals, homes and businesses.
The Office of Disaster Preparedness and Emergency Management (ODPEM) said it has created logistical cells to harness agencies, including customs, Airport Authority and the Jamaica Defence Force, to ensure smooth operations for the clearance and distribution of relief supplies.
“[This is] to ensure that whenever we are getting in supplies coming into the country , and we know that we will have a lot of commitments coming in from overseas, we will have enough hands on board and a very well put together plan to ensure that when supplies are in country they are not backing up at the ports,” said acting OPEM Director General, Richard Thompson.
He told a news conference that the main airports and seaports are to be monitored to ensure relief is quick to reach the vulnerable.
“One of the things that can stall your relief distribution is when your goods come in and they end up in a bottleneck at the ports,” he said.
About three-quarters of the island is without power and many parts of its western side are under water, with homes destroyed by strong winds.
Local Government Minister Desmond McKenzie said “Jamaica has gone through what I can describe as one of our worst periods, our infrastructure has been severely compromised…
“The entire Jamaica has felt the brunt of Melissa,” he said, adding that teams would be sent out to start the assessment and to make available to the various communities the various relief supplies that are necessary to start the recovery process.
“We are on standby, everything is ready,” he added.
Thousands of people remain in shelters across the country. The Mayor of Montego Bay Richard Vernon said that the initial assessment of the impact of Melissa is “rough”.
The Miami-based National Hurricane Center (NHC) said that the storm, which weakened slightly to a category 3 hurricane, is bringing damaging winds, flooding rains and dangerous storm surge as it moves over Eastern Cuba on Wednesday.
It is about 60 miles west of Guantanamo Bay and 230 miles south of the Central Bahamas with maximum sustained winds of 115 mph.
Melissa is moving toward the northeast near 12 mph and a faster northeastward motion is expected during the next few days.
“On the forecast track, the core of Melissa is expected to cross eastern Cuba this morning, move across the southeastern or central Bahamas later today, and pass near or to the west of Bermuda late Thursday and Thursday nigh,” the NHC said, adding that Melissa is expected to remain a powerful hurricane when it moves across the Bahamas later today and passes near Bermuda on Thursday night.
