Northwestern Parishes Urged to Prepare for Hurricane Conditions

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 generally experience the hurricanes when they pass by. Sometimes, you really escape it because it happens more in the east but this time, it’s going to go right across the country. It’s starting in the southern part, but moving across the country, and it will exit on the coast,” he said.

Mr. Thompson was speaking in an interview with JIS News following this morning’s (October 27) press briefing at the National Emergency Operations Centre (NEOC) at the Office of Disaster Preparedness and Emergency Management (ODPEM) in Kingston.

Hurricane Melissa is expected to make landfall at the southwestern end of the island as an extremely powerful hurricane on Tuesday (October 28).

Meanwhile, Mr. Thompson said Hurricane Melissa will still be a major hurricane when it is exiting the island.

“The strong winds, the heavy rains – all of that will continue over that area. So, there are lots of hazards that you should look out for. The landslides, storm surge could also be a possibility, even on the north coast, but mainly on the left side of the centre. That means, if the centre comes out in St. Ann, then parts of St. Ann, parts of Trelawny going into St. James could also experience significant storm surge,” he explained.

Persons in low-lying and flood-prone areas are being urged to evacuate now. A list of shelters can be accessed here.