Jamaicans Urged to Prepare for Tropical Storm Melissa

Minister of Water, Environment and Climate Change, Hon. Matthew Samuda, is urging Jamaicans to prepare as the country braces for the impact of Tropical Storm Melissa.

“This is certainly not a time for panic, but it is a time for preparation,” he said, during a special press briefing at the Office of the Prime Minister (OPM) this morning (October 22).

Jamaica has been under a tropical storm watch since Tuesday (October 21), which means that storm conditions are possible within 48 hours.

Minister Samuda indicated that the Ministry is coordinating very closely with the National Response Team and the National Disaster Risk Management Council.

“This will require an all-of-government response, but we want to assure citizens that they will get timely updates from the Meteorological Service. They will benefit from our bolstered capacity, as we’re now using our own doppler radar, whereas before we had to depend almost solely on external sources and external support,” he said.

“We are very clear that we have had to mobilise our other agencies to ensure that they provide particular support through their early warning systems,” he said, noting that these agencies include the National Environment and Planning Agency (NEPA) and the Water Resources Authority (WRA).

Minister Samuda said the National Water Commission (NWC) has already been given the directive to ensure that hospitals and infirmaries are served right throughout the storm if it hits Jamaica and, certainly, in the immediate aftermath.

Meanwhile, Director of the Meteorological Service of Jamaica, Evan Thompson, said that, at present, the tropical storm is some distance from the coast of Jamaica but is expected to move closer to the island.

“We do expect that we will start to experience rainfall starting on Thursday. We do expect that later on Thursday, we could start to experience the kinds of winds that are associated with tropical storms, and then as we go through the weekend, we could see that system further increasing in intensity. However, it’s most likely that the centre would be off the coast to the south,” Mr. Thompson explained.

He pointed out that rainfall is likely to cover most of the island, with eastern and southern parishes most at risk.

“The eastern end of the island could have up to anywhere between eight and 12 inches of rainfall,” Mr. Thompson said.