Jamaica prepares for an unwelcome guest, Melissa, a Category 5 hurricane

Jamaica is bracing for Melissa, currently a Category 5 hurricane, to make landfall Tuesday morning on the island. The slow-moving hurricane has a high risk for loss of life and catastrophic damage, according to experts at AccuWeather.

Meteorologists warn that the event could lead to long-term devastation due to flooding, mudslides and high winds.

“People choosing to ride out the storm in unsafe areas, or those who are unable to move out of harm’s way, will face great peril,” AccuWeather’s Chief Meteorologist Jon Porter said.

Maximum sustained winds in the eyewall have increased to 175 miles per hour, making it the strongest hurricane of the year in the Atlantic basin. It will also be the strongest storm on record to ever make landfall in Jamaica.

Jamaica has not experienced a direct strike from a major hurricane in nearly four decades. AccuWeather is predicting two to three feet of rain for the island nation of Jamaica. A storm surge of 10 to 15 feet is predicted along the coast of Jamaica.

Several areas are already reporting power outages from winds associated with Melissa. Downed power lines, fallen trees and landslides were also reported.

The storm will likely hit Jamaica first, then Cuba and the Bahamas.

Negril, Jamaica

---

By the time we wake up in the morning, Jamaica will likely be under siege with the eye wall of Hurricane Melissa over the island.

The storm, initially expected to strike Kingston, appears to be tracking further west – which means Negril and Montego Bay may deal with worse conditions than originally predicted.

Negril, which is located between the parishes of Hanover and Westmoreland, is home to approximately 3,000 residents.

Many resorts in Negril, Jamaica, have evacuated guests and closed. However, due to limited flights, some visitors were stuck and will have to hunker down and ride out the storm with locals. Guests have been moved to upper floors of resorts due to the potential surge.

Hotel Riu in Negril has the property on lockdown, according to guests posting on social media.

This summer, I went with a friend to Negril – my first trip out of the country and first adventure with my new passport.

We flew into Montego Bay and took a bus to our resort in Negril. It was approximately one hour on the bus where we chatted with the driver about life in Jamaica. We also passed shacks that were set up on the waterfront; likely homes to fisherman and other locals.

While there was definitely poverty all around us in Negril, the area is a popular tourist attraction, and the resorts were nothing short of paradise.

We stayed at the all-inclusive Riu in Negril. While we were visiting, we met a number of locals – some employees of the resort, others were merchants that had shops within walking distance of where we set up to enjoy the clear water and hospitality every morning.

Nicole, known as the blue hat lady, provided massage services at one of the stands along the waterfront. My friend and I chatted with her for a few minutes each day, as she had connections to Virginia.

I’m also thinking about members of the resort entertainment staff who mostly went by nicknames: Spotlight and Happy Feet were two that I recall. The entertainment staff ran everything from bingo to aqua trivia to dance parties and water aerobics.

I remember laughing one night when the staff came out to applaud guests as we were seated for the dinner buffet. While I found it funny to get that kind of welcome, the more time I spent in Jamaica, the more I realized that the people who lived and worked there relied on tourists for their own livelihood.

From the fisherman who offered private excursions, to the folks who offered watersports and paragliding, it was clear that tourism put food on their tables each day and helped each escape poverty.

While I said “no thank you” a lot, I also appreciated the hard work and perseverance of the people of Jamaica.

Damon and Twain were our servers daily and made sure we were seated close to the water so my friend, Cathy, could feed the birds some table scraps each morning.

Everyone we spoke with worked long hours, and many said they slept on their days off.

They were nonetheless thankful to have the job at the resort, even if they were very long days, because it was reliable income. Many took buses and traveled more than an hour to get to work each day.

We had fresh mango and sushi from the buffet and coconut water from a fresh coconut. One of the bartenders, Mike, made sure we didn’t go thirsty in our beach loungers each day. In Jamaica, it’s perfectly acceptable to drink a pina colada at 9 in the morning. We enjoyed the postcard-worthy views and warm temperatures every day and were grateful for the staff who made the entire trip unforgettable.

We’re thinking of you Nicole and Spotlight and Happy Feet, Damon, Twain and Mike.

As the storm makes its turn toward Jamaica, I’m hoping that everyone we met, from the bus drivers to the massage ladies, are all safe with their families over the next few days. I also hope the people we didn’t meet, the fisherman and people we passed on the road, have moved to higher ground.

I’m hoping for the best for everyone in Jamaica as Melissa is one of the first unwelcome guests to visit the island.

“An extremely urgent humanitarian crisis may follow,” Porter said. “The devastation from the electricity infrastructure alone may take months to repair. Food refrigeration and safe drinking water may not be available for an extended period.”