Hurricane Melissa roars across Jamaica, bringing wind, rain and risk

By JUDSON JONES, NAZANEEN GHAFFAR, EMILIANO RODRÍGUEZ MEGA and JOVAN JOHNSON

Hurricane Melissa was cutting a slow, soaking path across western Jamaica on Tuesday after making landfall near New Hope on the country’s southwestern coast as a Category 5 storm.

Boasting wind speeds of 185 mph after gaining in strength, Melissa made landfall around midday, tearing off roofs, pouring down rain and bringing significant risks for storm surge, flash flooding and devastating landslides as its pushed across the island.

By Tuesday night, Melissa was to have crossed Jamaica and be approaching Cuba, where it was forecast to make landfall as a Category 4 hurricane as early as midnight.

The storm’s rapid intensification this week — with sustained winds stronger than those of Hurricane Katrina at its peak — came with dire warnings from officials. “Jamaica, this is not the time to be brave,” said Desmond McKenzie, the minister coordinating disaster response. “Don’t bet against Melissa. It is a bet we can’t win.”

But it was the storm’s creeping pace that raised fears among forecasters and government officials that its saturating rains could set off flash flooding in narrow river valleys and cause deadly landslides in Jamaica’s steep, mountainous topography.

Forecasters were predicting rains measured in feet, not inches. And despite mandatory evacuation orders and warnings about destructive winds, rain and floods, officials in Jamaica were worried that not enough people were heeding orders to move to government-approved shelters.

At least three people died in connection to preparations for the storm, and 13 others were injured, Jamaican officials said. But updated totals were expected to be difficult to obtain, given a loss of power and communications caused by the storm.

Here’s what else to know:

— Tracking the storm: Strengthened by Caribbean water temperatures far warmer than usual, Melissa is expected to remain an intensely destructive force throughout the next few days as it passes through the Caribbean, while bypassing the United States.

— Regional preparations: Nearly 900,000 people have been ordered to evacuate Cuba’s eastern provinces, and the U.S. Navy ordered personnel into shelters at its base at Guantánamo Bay. Those headed to shelters at Guantánamo were told to bring their own bedding and a three-day supply of ready-to-eat food and water.

— Aid concerns: While budget cutbacks and reduced donations will reduce the amount of food that aid agencies like the World Food Program after natural disasters like hurricanes this year, Jamaica and Cuba expected to face the most severe public health effects after the storm — including disrupted health care, contaminated water, disease outbreaks and mental health issues.