Hurricane Melissa strengthens as Jamaica braces for impact

Hurricane Melissa, a category five storm is expected to make landfall on the Caribbean island in the early hours of Tuesday.

The latest data from the US-based National Hurricane Center (NHC) shows that in terms of maximum wind and low central pressure Melissa is the world’s strongest storm so far this year.

In its latest public advisory update on Monday, the NHC warned that “catastrophic and life-threatening winds, flooding, and storm surge” were expected in Jamaica Monday night and early Tuesday.

It said Melissa was currently about 145 miles (233km) south-west of the capital Kingston. It was moving “west-north-west” at just 3mph (6 km/h).

“This extreme rainfall potential, owing to the slow motion, is going to create a catastrophic event here for Jamaica,” said NHC Deputy Director Jamie Rhome.

The Jamaican government has ordered evacuations for parts of Kingston, and the entire island has been classed as “threatened”.

Evadney Campbell, a Londoner currently visiting her family on Jamaica’s north coast, said “The house that I am in is hurricane proof. It is built with blocks and steel from top to bottom and is filled with concrete.

“We’re checking on neighbours to see if they are OK.

“I am worried about people who live on the lowlands in parts of the south-east. Many do not want to leave their homes as they are worried about looting their houses,” Ms. Campbell said.

Damian Anderson, a 47-year-old teacher from the mountainous town of Hagley Gap in the south-east, said impassable roads had already cut off his community.

“We can’t move. We’re scared,” he was quoted as saying by Reuters news agency.

The storm has already been blamed for the deaths of four people in Haiti and the Dominican Republic.

Meteorologists warn that Melissa’s slow pace means it is set to dump torrential rain on affected areas for longer, increasing the risk of deadly flooding and landslides