In the coming hours, supplies will be delivered to 60,000 households in Jamaica and other Caribbean countries. Hurricane Melissa hits Jamaica as aid agencies prepare for rescue efforts Climate and Environment
Millions of people in Jamaica and other Caribbean countries are bracing for the powerful impact of Hurricane Melissa. UN and humanitarian partners warn of ‘critical’ and ‘imminent’ threat.
Speaking to reporters hours before the storm was expected to hit, a spokesman for the International Federation of Red Cross and Red Crescent Societies said the Category 5 hurricane would be the planet’s most powerful this year and would put at risk the lives of a million people – including families still recovering from Hurricane Beryl, which battered Jamaica 16 months ago. ago.
“The roofs of buildings will have to undergo a strength test. The water will rise. Many will be isolated,” warned Nesephore Mghendi, head of the Red Cross for the English- and Dutch-speaking Caribbean.
“Many buildings are expected to be completely destroyed,” added Anne-Claire Fontan, a tropical cyclone specialist at the World Health Organization. meteorological organization, citing a statement from the US National Hurricane Center. “I’ve never seen such wording before… This will be a powerful blow to Jamaica.”
First victims
Currently, the wind speed at the epicenter of the hurricane reaches 280 kilometers per hour. Heavy rains continue in the region, and there are already reports of deaths in Haiti, the Dominican Republic and Jamaica. According to Anne-Claire Fontan, the hurricane will bring three times the normal rainfall for the wettest month of the year in the region – up to 700 mm.
“This means catastrophic flash floods and multiple landslides,” she explained. “In addition to rain and damaging winds, a storm surge of three to four meters is expected on the southern coast of Jamaica, plus huge waves.” six kilometers per hour – but extreme precipitation and winds will lead to “severe infrastructure damage, isolating communities and shutting down critical services for days, if not weeks.” He noted that coastal communities are struggling financially after the previous hurricane. Informal settlements are particularly vulnerable as severely saturated soil increases the risk of landslides.
“Save as many lives as possible”
“The main task is to save as many lives as possible,” stressed Jens Laerke, a representative of the UN Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (OCHA).
According to Nesephore Mghendi, the Jamaican authorities have prepared about 800 shelters. Volunteers are helping with evacuations, distributing humanitarian aid and strengthening the early warning system.
Laerke added that, as part of the preventive mechanism activated by the UN, four million dollars from the Central Emergency Response Fund have been allocated for Cuba and Haiti to deploy supplies food, water, hygiene and medical supplies.
“What people need to survive? Food, clean water, shelter and medical care,” he said. “When large-scale floods occur, clean water becomes scarce, leading to increased epidemiological risks.”
When asked about the availability of humanitarian supplies, Mghendi said resources had already been deployed in Jamaica to assist 800 households. In addition, supplies could reach 60,000 households in Jamaica and other Caribbean countries “within four hours.”
“Once distributed, supplies will need to be replenished, and we are counting on global solidarity,” he stressed. “In moments like these, the world unites, and we expect that this will be the case now.” This is one of the “storms of the century” and I believe the global community will respond as one.”