‘Not our first’: Jamaicans face Hurricane Melissa

AFP/APP

Kingston: Hurricane Melissa could be the most powerful storm Jamaica has ever faced — but many residents say they will believe it when they see it.

Authorities have urged the island’s 2.8 million citizens to heed evacuation orders as torrential rain and fierce winds lash coastal areas. Yet, many Jamaicans are choosing to stay put.

“Jamaicans on the whole aren’t the type of people who would just get up and leave their home,” said Jamal Peters, 34, a front manager at a hotel in Port Royal.

“They’d prefer to stay. And if a window blows out or something like that, they can be there.”

Peters, who took up his post last month, said preparations at the 63-room waterfront hotel included moving guests to higher floors, securing loose structures, trimming trees, and clearing out boats.

“We are still bracing for impact,” he told AFP. “But for the most part, because this is not our first hurricane, Jamaicans would have been prepared for what’s to come.”

The Category 5 storm, packing winds of 175 miles (280 kilometers) per hour, was churning toward Jamaica on Monday evening, expected to dump several feet of rain and trigger deadly flooding.

Warnings that it could surpass Hurricane Gilbert (1988) — which left over 40 people dead in Jamaica and killed hundreds across the Caribbean and Mexico — have sparked concern among residents.

Still, some remain defiant.

“Evacuate? No, no. We’re not going to do that,” said Roy Brown, a plumber and tiler.

“Even if it’s Category 6, I am not moving. I don’t believe I can run from death. So whenever the Father is ready for me, I know He can take me, so I’m not running.”

Brown said reports of poor conditions at government-run shelters had discouraged many.

Jennifer Ramdial, a fisherwoman who has lived in her community for 30 years, shared similar sentiments:

“I just don’t want to leave,” she said.

But Shelly-Ann McCalla, shelter manager at Morant Bay Primary School, said some people have been arriving steadily since Thursday — a day after Jamaica was placed under a tropical storm warning.

However, she noted that numbers remain below the 86 residents who took shelter there during Hurricane Beryl last year.

“A lot of people don’t want to come because they say, ‘Storm not coming,’” she said.

‘Be With My Family’

Jamaica’s sprint legend Usain Bolt has been using his social media to amplify government emergency alerts and safety tips to his 4.6 million followers on X (formerly Twitter).

Even zoos were making preparations — securing animals, reinforcing enclosures, and conducting early feedings and checks.

“Although we’re staring down the loaded barrel of this nasty [Category 5], we will see you all on the other side,” posted Joey Brown of Hope Zoo on Facebook.

In Kingston, Ishack Wilmot, 42, a surf camp hospitality manager and chef, said he was sheltering with his family as heavy rain drenched the capital.

“Our family is pretty used to weathering out storms,” he told AFP.

Wilmot said preparations included safeguarding surfboards, organizing key documents, and stockpiling food and water.

“And then, you know, us as surfers — as soon as we did our basic preparations, we all went surfing,” he added.

By Monday evening, Wilmot said his usual ocean view had disappeared under sheets of rain.

“We are currently experiencing a torrential downpour,” he said. “It’s foggy out on the sea.”

And ultimately, he added, “If anything does happen and it does become the worst-case scenario, I’d prefer to be with my family.”