Disaster Area: Jamaica Took a Big Hit, But It’s Too Early to Know How Big

With communications one of the first things disrupted when a hurricane strikes, there’s a lot we don’t know about how Jamaica fared when the ferocious Hurricane Melissa came ashore as the most powerful hurricane on record to make a direct hit on the island.

As daylight arrives, the following hours will tell the tale.

What we do know:

Jamaican Prime Minister Andrew Holness yesterday declared the island a “disaster area,” and warned of “devastating impacts.”

“Reports that we have had so far would include damage to hospitals, significant damage to residential property, housing and commercial property as well,” Holness said last night.

About three-quarters of Jamaica is without power, and many parts of the western side of the island are either underwater or have seen homes destroyed by the strong winds.

Richard Vernon, the mayor of Montego Bay, told BBC Breakfast that one half of the city has been cut off from the other by flood waters, and that the first priority is to “check if everybody is alive.” He added that there have been no reports of casualties or deaths so far.

One piece of good news is that Norman Manley International Airport in Kingston, could reopen to start accepting emergency relief flights as early as Thursday, after escaping the storm without too much damage.

Desmond McKenzie, deputy chairman of Jamaica’s Disaster Risk Management Council, said during a press briefing yesterday evening that the southwestern parish of St. Elizabeth is flooded and parts of Clarendon are also reporting extensive damage. There have also been reports of flooding, fallen trees, power outages, landslides and storm surges, especially in St. Thomas, Portland and St. Catherine, he said.

There are no reports to date on Melissa’s impact on resorts and other tourism facilities, though there are indications that Montego Bay took a hard hit.

Angella Bennett, who leads the Jamaica Tourist Board in Canada, had this to report late yesterday: “We are pleased to confirm that all our guests currently on the island are safe and being supported according to their needs. Our teams are working tirelessly to ensure that all necessary precautions are taken to safeguard their stay.”

The slow-moving storm is now impacting Cuba. According to the U.S. National Hurricane Center  Melissa made landfall in the province of Santiago de Cuba early Wednesday morning as a Category 3 storm. The NHC said the storm remains “extremely dangerous” with maximum sustained winds near 193 km/h (120 mph).

Melissa will be long remembered as a storm tied as the strongest hurricane to make landfall anywhere in the Atlantic basin with a sustained wind speed of 185mph. With a central pressure of 892mb, Melissa also tied with the Labour Day hurricane in 1935 as most intense hurricane to ever make landfall.

Hurricane preparedness is a source of pride in Cuba, and authorities were heartened by the fact that ahead of Melissa’s arrival more than 730,000 people had been evacuated to shelters. But as we know, the hurricane has hit the island nation at a very bad time, as it suffers from a major economic crisis.

The country’s antiquated power system collapsed several times over the past year, plunging the whole nation into darkness. Key infrastructure is crumbling and there have been shortages of fuel – needed to operate generators – and medicines, all of which is going to make recovery from potential storm damage a lot more challenging.

After hitting Cuba, Melissa is expected to weaken as it moves north-east towards the Bahamas and Bermuda.