Hurricane Melissa has brought Caribbean aviation to a standstill this week as flights are grounded and airports shut, with passengers left stranded as the Category 5 storm prepares to tear through Jamaica.
Melissa Looming Over Jamaica
The Category 5 monster has been labelled as the “Strongest Storm of the year”, already reaching winds of 175 mph (282 km/h), surpassing the 165 mph wind speeds that were demonstrated by Super Typhoon Ragasa in the Northern Pacific in September.
The current forecast suggests that Melissa will make landfall in Jamaica on Tuesday between 11 am and 1 pm ET, initially meeting the west coast of Jamaica before traversing the island and moving further north.
Daryl Vaz, Minister of Energy, Telecommunications and Transportation, reported:
The electricity grid has already been impacted by hurricane conditions which have caused several power outages across the island.
Alongside this, Vaz reported that critical high-voltage substations, transmission, and distribution lines across the island have been forced out of service, and around 240,000 customers are without power.
French exchange students trapped in Kingston said:
We were moved to rooms with hurricane shutters on all the windows, and the move was done early enough that we had time to move under good conditions, bring our supplies, etc. In terms of how i feel, and speaking for myself here, it’s true that it’s a frightening situation. We’ve never experienced a hurricane before, never experienced a category 5 hurricane that passes over the island, so this week has been very strange.
Whilst Kingston is not experiencing the worst of Melissa’s winds, rain has been falling, and the mountainous region of the island was set to potentially experience nearly two feet of rainfall as the storm rolls in over the island.
British holidaymakers have been warned as the storm begins to sweep the island.
The Foreign Office has said:
It is expected to bring exceptional levels of rainfall to the whole of Jamaica. There are estimates for up to 700mm of rain, storm surges around coastal areas bringing waves of uo to 4 metres and winds of up to 135 mph. Catastrophic flash floods and landslides are likely.
UK citizens in Jamaica who need support have been encouraged to “Contact Consular Support at 876-936-0700 (Select Option 2)”.
Airline Responses
The Jamaica Civil Aviation Authority have confirmed that all operations out of Norman Manley International Airport in Kingston and Sangster International in Montego Bay have been suspended since Monday. Travellers have been advised not to attempt to go to these airports.
Airlines have responded to the Hurricane and activated flexible rebooking policies for travellers who have had their journeys disrupted. Air Canada, American Airlines, and JetBlue are among a list of airlines that have responded, cancelling flights and revising travel plans, ensuring the safety of travellers travelling between Jamaica, Cuba and Puerto Rico.
Into the Eye of the Storm
Whilst flights and civilians were grounded, the U.S. Air Force Reserve’s 53rd Weather Reconnaissance Squadron flew directly into the eye of Hurricane Melissa on Monday to collect atmospheric data for the National Hurricane Center (NHC).
They labelled the hurricane as “catastrophic” as it is carrying sustained winds and moving slowly north-east at only 4 km/h. Since this report, Melissa has picked up speed as she approaches Jamaica, reaching 11 km/h following statements from Principal Director of the Meteorological Service of Jamaica, Evan Thompson, at 10 am on Tuesday local time.
As the Hurricane moves through the Caribbean islands, travellers should expect disturbances in their journeys and travel plans through this week. We urge everyone to get somewhere safe, and our thoughts and prayers are with those affected.
