Jamaica has faced hurricanes before, but Melissa is different.
A meteorologist says a category 5 storm with winds of 282km/hr and its slow movement, means it will batter the entire island with unrelenting wind, torrential rain, and a dangerous storm surge.
“For Jamaica, it will be the storm of the century for sure,” Anne-Claire Fontan, a World Meteorological Organisation (WMO) specialist, said at a Geneva press briefing.
The combination of extreme intensity, prolonged impact, and record rainfall makes Melissa far more destructive than previous hurricanes, threatening flooding, landslides, and widespread infrastructure damage.
Experts warn it could be the most powerful storm Jamaica has seen in living memory.
A resident removes a loose section of roof in Kingston, Jamaica, as fierce winds batter the region.Credit: AP
