AKIPRESS.COM - Hurricane Melissa slammed into Jamaica on October 28 as a catastrophic Category 5 storm, the strongest to ever make landfall on the island nation, Reuters reported.
The storm’s rapid intensification over unusually warm Caribbean waters highlights a trend scientists have long warned about, where climate change fuels more powerful and destructive weather events.
The devastation in Jamaica and neighboring islands is expected to renew calls from developing nations for financial aid from wealthier countries to cope with the escalating impacts of a warming planet.
Wind speeds were well above the minimum level for the strongest hurricane classification. Forecasters at AccuWeather said it tied in second place for strongest-ever Atlantic hurricane on record in terms of wind speed when it struck land.
Melissa is the most powerful hurricane to make landfall on Jamaica since Gilbert in 1988.
No stranger to hurricanes, Jamaica had never before been known to take a direct hit from a Category 4 or 5 storm (Gilbert made landfall as a Category 3), and the government called for foreign aid even as it prepared for Melissa’s arrival.
“It’s a catastrophic situation,” the World Meteorological Organization’s tropical cyclone specialist Anne-Claire Fontan told a press briefing ahead of the storm making landfall. “For Jamaica, it will be the storm of the century for sure.”
Melissa’s size and strength ballooned as it churned over unusually warm Caribbean waters, and forecasters warned that its slow movement could prove particularly destructive.
The storm’s trajectory across multiple islands and slow movement meant that rain lingered over regions for extended periods.
Authorities in Haiti, which was not directly hit but nevertheless suffered days of torrential rains from the slow-moving storm, reported at least 25 deaths, mostly in the southern town of Petit-Goave when a river burst its banks.
The banks of a river also caved in and carried off part of a national highway, local newspaper Le Nouvelliste reported. The road, which had been weakened by last year’s Hurricane Beryl, connected to the nearby city of Jacmel
Melissa also hit eastern Cuba, where some 735,000 evacuated, but as of Thursday, no deaths were reported there, despite extensive damage to homes and crops.
Meteorologists at AccuWeather said Melissa ranked as the third most intense hurricane observed in the Caribbean after Wilma in 2005 and Gilbert in 1988 - the last major storm to make landfall in Jamaica.
Hurricanes are getting stronger, faster.
Scientists warn that storms are intensifying faster with greater frequency as a result of warming ocean waters. Rapid intensification is when hurricanes grow their wind speed over 35 mph in less than 24 hours, making it hard to predict the danger they may present.
In Jamaica, AccuWeather estimated Melissa caused $22 billion in damage and economic loss. Rebuilding could take a decade or more.
The capital Kingston was spared the worst damage and its main airport was set to reopen Thursday, but as of Wednesday morning authorities said about 77% of Jamaica was without electricity.
The Caribbean Community Climate Change Centre, a branch of regional bloc CARICOM, issued a statement in solidarity with those affected by Hurricane Melissa and called for stronger efforts to curb climate change.
It said Melissa’s rapid intensification, fueled by record-breaking Caribbean sea temperatures, underscored the need for the U.N.’s “loss and damage” fund to be scaled up.
The fund was established in 2023 as a mechanism for developing nations to quickly and reliably access financing to recover from more frequent extreme weather events. However, donations from wealthy, polluting nations have fallen short of targets and the U.S. withdrew from its board in March.
The devastation caused by Melissa drew an outpouring of support from across the world, with some countries pledging support in the form of cash, food aid and rescue teams.