Currently a category 5 storm, with winds of 160 mph, Hurricane Melissa is expected to turn northward later this morning and cross the island of Jamaica overnight. Heavy rain (up to three feet), storm surge, strong winds, flash floods and mud slides are forecast to devastate the country.
Though it has been a relatively quiet Atlantic Hurricane Season, it only takes one intense storm to remind us that climate change will spawn larger and more destructive hurricanes. After causing widespread misery in Jamaica, Melissa is forecast to head off to the NNE, crossing eastern Cuba and then the Turks & Caicos Islands.
The recovery in Jamaica will surely be prolonged and its citizens will depend on assistance from other countries throughout the Caribbean and across the globe. In this era of political isolationism, that may be a challenge. International aid organizations will likely take the lead and your financial support for their work is strongly encouraged.
