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Fear of mass destruction in Jamaica as Hurricane Melissa churns in Estelle.Bronkhorst Tue, 10/28/2025 - 04:59 KINGSTON - Jamaican officials called on the public to get to higher ground and shelters ahead of Hurricane Melissa, with the prime minister warning it could be a massively destructive storm -- the island s most violent on record.Melissa is charting a painstakingly slow path through the Caribbean as a monster Category 5 storm, which has already been blamed for at least four deaths in Haiti and the Dominican Republic.Its heavy rains combined with intense winds -- Melissa s maximum speeds are 280km/h, the US National Hurricane Center (NHC) said in its latest update -- could wreak devastation on the scale of historic hurricanes, including 2017 s Maria or 2005 s Katrina.Those massive storms, which have grown increasingly common as the climate warms, left indelible impacts on Puerto Rico and the US city of New Orleans.Local government minister Desmond McKenzie said Monday evening that of the island s 880-odd shelters standing by, only 133 were hosting locals.They should be seeing people now, McKenzie said, adding I want to urge persons in these parishes to get to high ground as quickly as possible. Jamaican Prime Minister Andrew Holness said the island s western end faced the worst. I don t believe there is any infrastructure within this region that could withstand a Category 5 storm, so there could be significant dislocation, he told CNN.But despite pleas to evacuate, many residents in Jamaica were staying put.Jamaica was expected to see deteriorating conditions through Monday night, with landfall expected early Tuesday.Part of Melissa s punch stems from its slow pace: It is lumbering along slower than most people walk, at just three miles per hour or less.That means areas in its path could endure punishing conditions for far longer than during most hurricanes.The NHC warned of catastrophic flash flooding, landslides and destructive winds that could cause lengthy power and communications outages, along with extensive infrastructural damage. Up to a metre of rainfall was forecast, with deluges expected to bring flash flooding and landslides to Jamaica as well as Haiti, the Dominican Republic and Cuba.Storm surge was likely along Jamaica s southern coast, with waters potentially rising some 13 feet, along with destructive waves. After pummeling Jamaica, Melissa was forecast to head north and cross over eastern Cuba on Tuesday night.

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