Jamaicans and tourists, including many vacationing Canadians, are bracing for gale-force winds, catastrophic flooding and a surge in sea levels ahead of Hurricane Melissa, expected to make landfall Tuesday as one of the worst storms in the country's history.
But the concerns about the destructive potential of the Category 5 storm stretch beyond the borders of the small Caribbean country, which holds a strong diaspora of nearly 150,000 in Toronto.
"We have no idea what Jamaica will look like after," David Betty, the president of the Jamaican Canadian Association, told the Star. "We're beyond believing that we're going to escape this. We're almost certain that it's going to make landfall and that it's going to be devastating."
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At least seven areas on the island nation have been issued evacuation orders ahead of Hurricane Melissa's arrival. Currently centred about 230 kilometres southwest of the capital Kingston, the storm threatens "catastrophic" damage when it makes its arrival Tuesday morning.
Already, the deaths of six people in the northern Caribbean have already been attributed to the storm.
As of Monday, early reports indicate that over 50,000 of the islands' nearly 2.9 million people are already without electricity. Officials say additional widespread power outages and disruption to utilities are possible once the storm lands.
Markham resident Hamlet Nation said the well-being of his parents, who live in Clarendon, one of the parishes where the hurricane is projected to make landfall, is top of mind.
His mother, 67, and father, 70, have stocked up on supplies such as food, drinking water and necessary medication.
"When I spoke to my mom this morning, they were charging their devices because they are anticipating that the electricity will go out," said Nation, who served as a practicing physician in Jamaica up until he migrated to Canada in 2020. "I'm concerned about how they're going to fair."
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Nation's greatest fear is that the hurricane will remain a Category 5 storm when it lands on the island.
As of Monday, both of the island's international airports are closed and mandatory evacuations are in place in seven communities in the southern part of the island -- near the coastal areas of the parishes of Kingston, St. Andrew and Catherine. Authorities tell the Star that list is expected to grow Monday afternoon.
Those who intend to remain on the island when Melissa hits have been told not to venture from their shelter and to prepare for the possibility of flash flooding and landslides.
Anxieties are high amongst Canadian tourists stranded on the island.
"My stomach is in knots," Pauline Driscoll, a resident of Burlington, staying at a Sandals Resort in Ocho Rios since Oct. 21, told the Star. "We can't really imagine what we are in for."
Driscoll, one of many visiting Canadians who will ride the storm out alongside locals, says conditions at the resort remain relatively calm as of Monday.
World Hurricane Melissa threatens catastrophic flash flooding and landslides in the Caribbean
The U.S. National Hurricane Center warned Monday that Hurricane Melissa could cause catastro...
Guests who are staying at the resort have been ushered into a single building and are being provided with daily updates, she said. If the property loses power, which Driscoll says she expects will be the case, there are generators in place. Only one of the resort's restaurants is still serving food and alcohol sales have been paused.
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"They want everyone to be capable of following instructions when needed," Driscoll said.
About an hour west of Sandals, the Emms family, from Nova Scotia, has found themselves in a similar situation.
Allison Emms arrived at Ocean Coral Spring Resort in Falmouth with her husband, son and family friends on Wednesday, only learning of the impending storm when she got to the island.
Emms told the Star she's repeatedly tried to book an earlier flight home to no avail.
"I seriously don't understand," she said. "(Air Canada) should have done emergency flights."
"I'm scared for me and my family's lives."
Both Air Canada and WestJet told the Star that flights to and from the island destination have been cancelled amid the severe weather, with operations expected to resume at some point on Wednesday. Air Canada noted that it had provided an extra flight and substituted a larger aircraft on Saturday with approximately 600 seats to bring people back to Canada ahead of the hurricane.
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The Star has reached out to Global Affairs Canada for comment but did not receive a response by publication.
In an address earlier on Monday, Jamaican Prime Minister Andrew Holness encouraged residents to look out for one another.
"Check on your neighbours, especially the elderly and vulnerable, and continue to pray for our nation's safety," he said.
In case of crippling damage to the ports and major manufacturing facilities, Holness estimates the nation has food and goods to last 12 weeks, along with enough refined petroleum products to serve for about 10 days after the hurricane hits. There are roughly 880 shelters available across the island.
Closer to home, Betty, the president of the Jamaican Canadian Association, says plans are already in the works to fundraise for island communities, and he has been in talks with organizations in the Jamaican diaspora to see how they might pool their efforts.
"We have mobilized," he said. "We're definitely going to be doing some sort of fundraising."
Melissa marks the third Category 5 storm of the 2025 hurricane season. It is expected to make landfall in eastern Cuba Tuesday night, where some areas are expected to get up to 51 cm of rainfall, before moving through portions of southeastern Bahamas on Wednesday.
The last time the Atlantic produced three or more Category 5 storms was 2005.