The nation of Jamaica is bracing for Hurricane Melissa, which was upgraded to a Category 5 storm overnight. Patrick Smith of NBC News is reporting that massive flooding is expected as Jamaica braces for the most powerful storm to land on the country in the last 37 years. In 1988 Hurricane Gilbert hit Jamaica, destroying crops and livestock, leveling 100,000 homes, wiped out power to the nation, and killed nearly 50 people.
Smith of NBC News reports: “Hurricane Melissa intensified to a powerful Category 5 storm early Monday as forecasters warned it would cause catastrophic flash flooding, life-threatening landslides and extremely strong winds across the Caribbean.
The U.S. National Hurricane Center in Miami warned people in Jamaica to go to their shelters and stay there during the storm, with dangerous conditions beginning Monday and lasting through Tuesday.
Melissa is set to make landfall on Jamaica early Tuesday. Government officials are set to address the public at 11:30 a.m. Monday.”
At this posting, the storm is 130 miles Southwest of Kingston. This story is developing.
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This post was written by Nsenga K. Burton, Ph.D., founder and editor-in-chief of the Burton Wire. Follow The Burton Wire on Instagram or Facebook.Â
