KINGSTON — The Prime Minister of Jamaica, Andrew Holness, declared this Tuesday the Caribbean island country as a “catastrophic zone” due to the passage of the hurricane ‘Melissa’, after the first damages due to the passage of the cyclone have been announced, which has affected at least four important hospitals.
Holness explained that he made this decision – which came into force this Tuesday – after the advice of the services of emergency and local authorities. He added that these measures are “new legal steps to protect lives,” as indicated in a statement published on his profile on the social network X.
“The Government’s top priority has always been the safety and well-being of all Jamaicans. We acted proactively by declaring a threatened area as the system approached Jamaica. Hurricane Melissa, an unprecedented Category 5 system, is already here, passing through the island. This warrants a new legislative provision,” he declared.
Likewise, he stressed that they must “continue to proactively maintain stability, protecting consumers and preventing any exploitation at a time when citizens are securing food, water and supplies.” “These orders give the Government the tools to continue managing our response to Hurricane Melissa,” he added.
Displaced
Previously, Jamaican authorities have reported that around 6,000 people are in shelters while Hurricane ‘Melissa’ crossed the Caribbean island country, where at least three people have already died due to the storm.
Government Minister Desmond McKenzie indicated that the number of people in shelters has increased to almost 6,000, while the Executive expects more than 50,000 people to be displaced by the impact of the storm, according to Jamaica Star.
Melissa is the most intense hurricane recorded in Jamaica, with winds of more than 295 kilometers/hour. However, since the cyclone arrived in Jamaica, which had been described as “extremely dangerous” by the United States National Hurricane Center (NHC), it lost strength and was downgraded to category four.
“Severe damage”
The passage of Hurricane Melissa left a trail of destruction in southwestern Jamaica, with severe damage in the parish of St. Elizabeth, where homes, health centers and schools were hit by intense gusts of wind and heavy flooding.
According to Richard Thompson, director of the Disaster Preparedness and Response Agency, Black River Hospital was affected, although the extent of the losses has not yet been determined. Emergency teams are working to assess damage and assist the hardest hit communities.
Alert for crocodile movements
Given the impact of the phenomenon, the Southeast Regional Health Authority (SERHA) warned about the displacement of crocodiles from their natural areas due to rising water levels. The entity urged the population of Kingston, Saint Andrew, Saint Thomas and Saint Catherine to remain alert and avoid flooded areas.
“Exercise caution, as heavy rains and flooding can cause crocodiles to be displaced from their natural habitats,” said the Southeast Regional Health Authority (SERHA).
Authorities continue to monitor the situation as disruptions to basic services and significant damage to key infrastructure in the country are reported.
Hurricane Melissa has already caused ten deaths — three in Jamaica, three in Haiti, three in Panama and one in the Dominican Republic.
