Residents in Bluefields and surrounding areas in Westmoreland are being warned to anticipate life-threatening storm surges with the passage of Hurricane Melissa. Storm surges will involve the rising of the sea as a result of wind and atmospheric pressure changes, associated with Hurricane Melissa, which is expected to impact the island shortly. Principal Director of the Meteorological Services Branch in...

The National Works Agency (NWA) has undertaken flood mitigation works on several critical drains across the island in preparation for Hurricane Melissa’s projected landfall and will continue these efforts as long as conditions remain safe. This was disclosed by Minister without Portfolio in the Ministry of Economic Growth and Infrastructure Development with Responsibility for Works, Hon. Robert Morgan. He was...

Residents of St. James, Trelawny and Hanover are being urged to prepare for the impact of Hurricane Melissa. Principal Director, Meteorological Services Branch in the Ministry of Water, Environment and Climate Change, Evan Thompson, said that based on the projected path of Hurricane Melissa they will be affected by the system. “There are places on the northern side that don't...

The Westmoreland Health Department is monitoring emergency shelters across the parish to ensure that proper hygiene and disease-prevention measures are in place during Hurricane Melissa. “We have visited three shelters so far – Godfrey Stewart High, Unity Primary and Williamsfield Primary,” Health Promotion and Education Officer for Westmoreland, Gerald Miller, told JIS News. “[We] have focused on safety in terms...

With a Mandatory Evacuation Order issued for several communities along the country’s south coast, Prime Minister, Dr. the Most Hon. Andrew Holness, is urging citizens to obey the legal directive. The Mandatory Evacuation Order applies to several vulnerable communities along the south coast as Hurricane Melissa moves closer to the island. The communities include Port Royal in Kingston; Portland Cottage...

Minister of Water, Environment and Climate Change, Hon. Matthew Samuda, is advising the public to pay keen attention to reliable sources to avoid misinformation about the impending tropical storm. “We have already seen projections and forecasts going around that do not reflect the Meteorological Service of Jamaica ‘s (Met Service’s) forecast, so we ask that you pay attention to [the...

Prime Minister, Dr. the Most Hon. Andrew Holness, is urging Jamaicans to take the impending weather threat seriously. Jamaica is under a tropical storm warning and a hurricane watch as Tropical Storm Melissa moves slowly across the Caribbean Sea. “You have nothing to lose even if it doesn't come. If it doesn't come and you're prepared, fine, you have lost...