Hurricane Melissa batters Jamaica with 185mph winds

Thousands evacuate coastal areas as power grid damaged

- MAIRA BUTT, JANE DALTON

Heavy floodwaters swept across southwestern Jamaica, winds tore roofs off buildings and boulders tumbled into roads as the “storm of the century” made landfall over the Caribbean island of 2. 8 million people. Thousands of people were warned to flee before destructive winds, flash flooding and landslides caused catastrophic damage. At least seven people have been killed so far - three in Jamaica, three in Haiti and one in the Dominican Republic - after Hurricane Melissa intensified. One person is missing.

The Miami-based hurricane centre warned that “total structural failure” was likely in Melissa’s path. The government has ordered 28,000 people to leave their homes and go to shelters, but some were reluctant, and only 6,000 have done so so far, said minister Desmond McKenzie. Officials have also urged civilians to evacuate danger zones.

The International Federation of the Red Cross estimated 1.5 million people would be affected. British people in Jamaica have been urged to register their presence with the Foreign Office, which has set up a crisis centre for UK citizens. Royal Navy ship HMS Trent is in the region on standby.

“Trillions of gallons of water” are expected to fall on the country, said United Cajun Navy vice-president Brian Trascher. “It’s a catastrophic situation,” the World Meteorological Organisation’s tropical cyclone specialist Anne-Claire Fontan said. “For Jamaica, it will be the storm of the century, for sure.”