Melissa is “one of the most powerful hurricane landfalls on record in the Atlantic Basin,” the National Hurricane Center said.
Hurricane Melissa made landfall in Jamaica around 1 p.m. ET on Tuesday, the National Hurricane Center said. With maximum sustained winds of 185 mph, it’s the strongest storm ever to directly hit the island since record-keeping began over 170 years ago.
The storm made landfall in southwestern Jamaica, near New Hope, according to the NHC. It’s “one of the most powerful hurricane landfalls on record in the Atlantic Basin.”
NHC meteorologists described the storm as “an extremely dangerous and life-threatening situation.”
“Do not leave your shelter as the eye passes over, as winds will quickly, and rapidly increase on the other side of the eye. Residents should remain in place through the passage of these life-threatening conditions,” the latest advisory from the NHC said. “To protect yourself from wind, the best thing you can do is put as many walls as possible between you and the outside. An interior room without windows, ideally one where you can also avoid falling trees, is the safest place you can be in a building. You can cover yourself with a mattress and wear a helmet for added protection.”
Melissa has been blamed for at least seven deaths. At least three people were killed by the storm in Haiti over the weekend, and a fourth died in the Dominican Republic, where another person remains missing. In Jamaica, officials said at least three people died ahead of Melissa’s arrival.
AFROWORLDNEWS
