(MENAFN- The Rio Times) Jamaica woke on Tuesday to a slow-moving Category 5 hurricane with sustained winds near 175 mph and a central pressure around 901 mb-numbers that translate into real-world danger: a storm surge of roughly 9–13 feet along parts of the south coast and 15–30 inches of rain island-wide, with local peaks higher.

Authorities issued a nationwide Hurricane Warning, ordered targeted evacuations on the south coast, and opened more than 800 shelters as airports and seaports paused operations. Before the eyewall arrived, at least three people had already died in storm-related incidents.

The larger story is why this hurricane is so threatening for Jamaica in particular. The island's beauty is mountainous; those same steep slopes funnel water downhill at speed.

When a major storm crawls, the rain lasts longer, rivers rise fast, hillsides fail, and roads disappear under water and mud.

Many at-risk communities sit either on low-lying coast-places like Old Harbour Bay or Portland Cottage-or on vulnerable hills around Kingston and St. Andrew.



In a slow system like Melissa, the danger comes less from headline wind numbers than from water that arrives quickly and keeps rising after the center passes.
Melissa Tests Jamaica's Infrastructure and Emergency Response
Jamaicans know this history. Hurricane Gilbert in 1988 set the benchmark for damage; more recently, Beryl in 2024 showed how even a glancing blow can topple power and stretch recovery.

Preparedness has improved-evacuation orders are clearer, shelters are pre-positioned-but Melissa combines the worst elements: extreme rainfall, a broad wind field, and surge aimed at the south coast.

That is why officials emphasized moving early to higher ground or official shelters rather than waiting until travel becomes impossible. For readers outside Jamaica, the stakes are immediate and human.

This storm tests whether a Caribbean nation with limited redundancy can keep people connected, supplied, and safe when roads, bridges, power, and phone networks come under simultaneous stress.

Watch three indicators over the next 48 hours: coastal surge on the south side, landslides on interior corridors, and the pace of restoring power and access once the eye moves on toward Cuba and the Bahamas.

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