Public sentiment regarding Hurricane Melissa is characterized by a mixture of deep concern, fear, and empathy for those affected, particularly in Jamaica and Haiti. Many commenters express prayers for safety and highlight a strong community spirit, although there are frustrations concerning those who ignored evacuation warnings. The overwhelming mood is one of solidarity, resilience, and a sense of urgency for aid, underlining the devastating potential of the hurricane and frustration over the increasing severity of such storms due to climate change.

Government Authorities of Jamaica

Local Communities

Tourists

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Never seen anything like it

dreamfearless

Absolutely astonishing. This is my first time posting in this subreddit, and I just had to for this. What's remarkable is how perfectly circular it continues to be barely disrupted by any shear, and now these devastating winds. Nature's beautiful but monstrous power being displayed.

Vertsix

Just a reminder that this could be the hurricane equivalent to jerral, hovering over a place with insanely high winds just grinding it away,  I pray everybody is in a strong safe place

Altruistic-Willow265

I remember people saying that this season was too quiet, well now we're ending it with record breaking bangs

KehreAzerith

I don’t remember the last time I saw salmon pink on a weather map for hurricanes

12kdaysinthefire

I wonder if it was straight line or from a mesovortex.

hididathing

Are these winds at ground level or higher up in the atmosphere?

OrdinaryToucan3136

Wow - a 388kmh gust. Insane and dangerous.

scanthethread2

Sweet mercy.  Prayers to the people in the path of this monster

Quirky_Chicken_1840

the worst thing to me is the quiet acceptance in Jamaica. To me its even worse than panic, panic implies people en masse feel like there is something they can do to protect or save themselves.

but no. most jamaicans are quietly ignoring this, because in my opinion they know very well that there might be no coming back from this. or no coming back to what was, should I say. 

Like Puerto Rico after Maria, except Jamaica is not a commonwealth and USAID does not exist anymore.

ChipmunkNational224

This was recorded this morning and at 700ft in altitude. Also, it's not the record even if it were at the surface, with Cyclone Olivia getting over 250mph.

Ryermeke

It's not a record, as they write in the source: 

"A dropsonde released by the Hurricane Hunters at 8:55 a.m. EDT recorded an astonishing wind gust of 241 mph (388 km/h) at an altitude of 709 feet, one of the highest wind gusts ever measured in a hurricane"

It is very strong though.

Ancient_Persimmon

Hopefully there isn't widespread devastation. Mother nature can sure be a beast.

CryptidKeeper67

Same. I went thru Andrew., and it was a relatively fast moving storm.

Today I watched a really interesting YouTube video about the geology of Jamaica and the areas that landslides and catastrophic flash floods are likely to occur with Melissa. There are very few safe inhabited areas on the island

OldButHappy

I totally get it! We took a direct hit from Cat 5 Michael at Mexico Beach, FL in 2018. For over 5 years, all I could do was monitor if a storm was coming our way and then pretty much tune out on a storm once it took a different turn. But Helene last year broke me out of my stupor, and I worry for folks as each big storm rolls in. This year has been a relief so far, with so many headed out to sea.

Potential_Phrase_206

I have felt on edge and have been watching live feeds from Jamaica on TikTok at various points today.  I lived in Florida and was a federal responder to Andrew (not FEMA). My sister was in the Army and was also deployed on response to Miami.  

I was also a fed responder to Katrina. I still have nightmares on occasion. 

Had I not retired, I likely would have been sent to NC for Helene.  I have lots of friends in NC, and the devastation was worse for them, as little help was sent from the feds, unlike for Andrew and Katrina. Thank God for the Cajun Army and a few other groups.

Puzzleheaded_Age6550

I’m so worried for the residents of Jamaica with this monster coming right for them at full force.

Huckleberry8480

I’m seeing a decent amount of PTSD in the comments from folks who’ve been through other natural disasters. Take care of your mentals folks

r/hurricanemelissa

Responsible_Hater

Here's some of my Katrina photos, if anyone's interested:
https://imgur.com/gallery/some-photos-i-took-of-damage-katrina-did-to-new-orleans-caMpa

wuapinmon

Yup, I was in Jamaican port on a cruise in January, so yeah my anxiety is up , today. The only thing I see is they do have higher grounds in Jamaica, so it's not flat, that may help some.

One-Lengthiness-2949

Thinking of Jamaica and its residents 🙏

Jmac0113

I live near Fort Myers, FL. We took Ian right in the face three years ago, I’m being as hopeful as I can for Jamaica, but…

Ed_The_Bloody

I think things will not be as bad as what occurred during Katrina, the aftermath with the levees was the biggest issue there.

In the Carribbean they are better prepared with the concrete block construction and how people approach an oncoming storm.

Hoping it moves through quickly to minimize flooding.

gnnr25

Don’t believe what the TV tells you. 

I live near the Florida Keys. A few years ago the Keys got hit directly by a hurricane. Based on the way the news was reporting in it, you would have thought that the islands were washed away completely, never to be heard from again. 

I went there a couple of weeks after the fact, everything was completely normal and intact.

sippin_tea56

[deleted]

This is the strongest Hurricane to ever hit Jamaica since records began in 1851. This just came out from the U.S. National Hurricane Center.

&gt;The system had maximum sustained winds of 175 mph (280 kph) and was moving west-northwest at 3 mph (5 kph), according to the U.S. National Hurricane Center in Miami.

It is identical to strength and size as Hurricane Katrina. So for everyone in Jamaica please be ready and be safe.

VanCityPhotoNewbie

Just came here to say if you're in Jamaica and you haven't evacuated to a shelter, *please start thinking about going.* There are 800 shelters up and running across the island right now, and only 76 of them have any folks taking cover there at all. I know it's a bit early, but flooding has already started and 51,000 people are without power - and the bad wind/rain isn't even there yet.  It also isn't entirely about housing, it's about becoming completely isolated because the roads to get to you will become impassable.  It's about making sure you have water and supplies.  Please be careful, Jamaica has never had a storm this size approach in this manner.

Please don't think you'll be fine. You could be stranded for WEEKS. There's help available, please take it. Sending love from the US.

disharmony-hellride

No, it’s not barreling. It’s moving very slowly, which is a problem, because it’s accumulating even more energy that way, and beat everything in its path mercilessly for longer. It’ll take half a day to traverse Jamaica, at *walking pace.* (With wind speeds that rip your face off)

BasvanS

I saw somewhere that at its peak the intensity of this hurricane will push the upper limits of what’s even possible for a storm on earth. Jamaica will need a lot of help after this, and quickly

The_Frozen_Inferno

You can track it live here: https://earth.nullschool.net/#current/wind/surface/level/orthographic=-78.04,16.60,8010/loc=-77.986,16.482

Stay safe!

Responsible_Low_250

My family are stuck in the hotel in Jamaica on holiday. They have been told to stay inside and ride it out. They are on the coast.

MASH12140

I’ve never been to Jamaica, but have been to similar islands. I assume this gonna be real fuckin bad?

Stinkfinger83

I don’t think people understand how much the US used to engage foreign countries to support emergency response. But we are all about to find out.

lowercasejames

I was in Katrina, tried to make it though by getting in the attic.  Ended up cutting a hole in the roof when the water got to the attic boards.  I sincerely hope these Caribbean island residents can leave and find somewhere safe.  This is going to be like nothing they’ve ever imagined.

One_Way_3678

I really wanted to have a job for providing humanitarian support to areas hit by disaster, though I never really knew where to look or what qualifications were needed. Seeing disasters like these unfold is horrible, and I remember seeing entire neighborhoods of people who lost their homes back when the tornadoes in April of 2011 did enormous damage all throughout my state.


Haiti does not even have its rainforests anymore to help protect it from some of the worst of storms like these, so this could be especially devastating to their existing agricultural system.


And being in island regions, it is not like people in any of these areas can just drive to another location that is well outside of its path. Hopefully at least people might come together to provide aid in response to this storm, since there has been a severe lack of altruism around the world in recent history.

Chicken_Ingots

What does it mean when the center of the hurricane is black?

ThePopeofHell

Jamaica is pretty much done as far as I can tell. recovery will take at least 2 decades. The amount of rain storm surge the wind speed for 3-5 consecutive days over the ENTIRE island the amount of erosion.

Otherwise-Sun2486

This sounds bad. good luck guys. may you and your loved ones be safe.

PsychologyMiserable4

guglielmo111111

“McKenzie said on Saturday, adding that it is the responsibility of the government to ensure that Jamaicans are protected and comply with emergency orders.”

Crazy that a government is responsible for their people .. our government doesn’t give a fuck. As long as the 2% are ok.

LiberalSinner

abelhevel

Somewhere in the white house tonight someone has asked about nuking the hurricane to break it apart. I'd be willing to bet money on it.

MrFuddlesworth

Has anyone asked Trump to use his magic Sharpee yet?

ExcellentAfternoon44

Barrels? It’s 3 mph

I hate the anthropomorphic (right word?) -ism of a hurricane

It’s not its fury, wrath, it’s not mad a jamaica

soylentgreenishere

Isn’t the airport on an island as well.

AraMas69

Windy claims theres parts of it at 60 knots, but overall it doesnt look like its that bad- am I missing something?

destroythenseek

The only good thing about this Hurricane is it means we're about to get a bunch of Dancehall songs saying how this was all caused by dutty wining

NoMoPolenta

Yet more fascinating cases of America using its top secret weather modification tech to inconvenience a few yardies or Florida trailer homes rather than guarantee perfect weather conditions for harvest season in the Midwest or for superbowl sunday.

full_metal_codpiece

Elbeske

contentwatcher3

Yeah but Florida will get a nice cold front next week

ClareTootheLuce

puerirrumandus

Trump’s been drawing sharpie arrows on a map again.

FadedWreath

Info dump:

Atlantic hurricanes are seeded by hot air rising from the Sahara + prevailing winds + moisture provided by the Atlantic ocean.  A wonky track means the invest is unstable due to other competing wind currents in the area.  If it is able to pull itself together and form a hurricane, the path becomes more predictable and it can really pick up speed.  The turn over Jamaica will be from competing weather fronts to the west (it will travel the path of least resistance).

The only part of this that is man made is climate change, which increases the number and severity of hurricanes.  There are plenty of reputable resources on the internet that has documented all the paths of hurricanes, storms, and invests.

No_Pack_4632

Swiftie69420

You misunderstand, this is a kamikaze sent to protect Venezuela, we almost invaded this last week but the storm disrupted naval shipping. Now plans have changed and the USS Ford is being redeployed from CENTCOM to SOUTHCOM, that bought Venezuela 10 more days to complete the ritual

reticenttom

You also notice that a lot of countries got earthquaked immediately after making decisions unpopular with the US

Weird_Point_4262

gegenbanana

loginconfirmation

so the hurricane just decides to make a immediate turn to Jamaica?? they literally create this shit to attack jamaican smh

Jwoke888

Whoah check it out boys, here's some "schizoposting"!

tescoveeshatepolice

Kind of related, I just finished reading Brothers Vonnegut by Ginger Strand, which is a biography of author Kurt Vonnegut and his brother Bernard Vonnegut who was one of the scientists that developed cloud seeding technology while working for GE in the 40s and 50s.




Good book, highly recommend.

return_descender

&gt; This hurricane is legitimately going to wipe Jamaica off the fucking map.


Funny...I'll come back to this post Friday...I got family in Jamaica and they are not worried... and how on earth is a national weather phenomenon "man-made"?

Beast_by_Dre

Most of those turns aren't that special, just slowly floating about and plotted every so many hours or whatever, hurricanes don't have wheels.  But yeah, idling off the coast for days to build up wind speed before making a making a sweeping turn to hit the broadside of island dead center is what a weaponized hurricane would look like.

Shoxidizer

100 agree with you.
How sad that people don't know that our government is the most sinister on the planet

BMoney711

I heard it had to do with the new airport they were trying to build

NeverJaded21

Emergency_Client_543

Useful-Afternoon3880

40 inches of rain.  That's more than the shallow end of the pool.  Jesus.

Osiris32

Man, this hurricane intensified in like 4 days from Storm on Friday to a Cat 5 by Monday. That's insane

sangdrako

Stereotypical_Viking

We're looking at potentially the strongest hurricane in North Atlantic history, and it's just going to be sitting on Jamaica for days. 

Winds are said to be 20-30% stronger at higher elevation in the mountains, so you're looking at &gt;200mph at higher elevation, and if you're staying closer to sea level then you're dealing with 6-8ft+ storm surge. Even worse, the main airport in Kingston is in the bay barely above sea level, so it's going to be extraordinarily difficult getting aid where it needs to be after it passes.

Prayers to all the people on that island. I would say get somewhere safe, but I'm not sure anywhere is safe right now.

mikelo22

Potentially the most powerful system at landfall in Jamaican history

EyeIslet

It’s wild the amount of people that still went to the resorts *after* the news broke of it being a tropical storm or hurricane headed to their vacation while they’d be there. The TikToks of people low-key complaining about food bags, food lines, and the resort lockdowns are so out of touch. The people wondering if they can go to Jamaica on the 29th, 30th, or next week are delulu.

I feel so bad for the people of Jamaica. A slow moving hurricane is awful. (I got lucky during Harvey, but so many others did not).

greyhoundbrain

Saw a rec to donate to the Jamaica Red Cross in advance, so they have resources for prep and immediate aftermath.

zoinkability

175mph sustained now, probably 225-250+ at 7k feet. Thing is a slow moving f5 tornado hundreds of miles wide.

magicone2571

Good luck Jamaica 

Hide from wind

Run from water

rapidcreek409

This is horrific. Could be the most lethal hurricane in recorded history

[Melissa Spaghetti Models (and more) from Cyclocane](https://www.cyclocane.com/melissa-spaghetti-models/)

yhwhx

As someone who went through Hurricane Harvey in Houston, fuck this shit.

This is going to destroy the island.

Houston recovered over the course of weeks, and mitigated things only because supplies could still transit in through non-flooded ground routes immediately after the storm passed. Some ground routes were still flooded for more than 7 days after the storm passed, trapping people in their homes.

I cannot fathom how this combination or wind and water does not collapse the infrastructure, block most major land routes, flood any coastal or downstream cities, and generally isolate large populations for weeks.

Hope that Jamaica’s topography is better for drainage than Houston’s was, because holy shit, this is going to lead to a lot of immediate AND delayed deaths otherwise.

Nordramor

I checked the live radar just now and its already looking gnarly on south end of the country

SuitableExercise7096

I visited Jamaica for a month and toured the whole island, so I speak as a tourist not a resident. I’m afraid this storm is going to cripple the country for months or longer. The infrastructure there is incredibly delicate- power for many residents can be hit or miss even on sunny days, there will be prolonged blackouts for large areas. Many residents live in shantytowns of random construction materials that don’t stand a chance against hurricane winds. The geography of the island is prone to mudslides- in fact when I was there it rained heavily for three days and a mudslide took out a local road. Travel within the island is going to be seriously compromised.

People will die, but I hope the deaths remain low.. but the months afterward will be a living hell for many

SCUMDOG_MILLIONAIRE

I am not even religious much, but holy cow even I am praying for all the Jamaicans. We were there a few years ago and have a wonderful time and so much enjoyed the people and their island. But so many of the towns and settlements are built into the sides of those mountains and could literally slide away, and so many roads will become raging torrents, not to even mention the wind, trees, powerlines and lack of sufficient resources to cleanup and rebuild. And the people living near the coast, so many tin covered houses will be completely destroyed. 

This could be truly horrific, and my heart goes out to the island. Hopefully the international community (countries) will stand up and help as much as possible.

nysflyboy

Read a bit ago on the nhc site it describes the storm as possibly reaching the mathematical limits of storm strength. Holy crap.

chillinwithabeer29

“I don’t think the storm will damage my house. My only concern is flooding, because we live near the sea,” said Hyacinth White, 49, who said she had no plans to evacuate to a shelter before the call was disconnected."


People... 🤦‍♂️

new-who-two

I'm tired of these once in a generation storms happening every year, and we all know why.

mortalcoil1

Estimated trajectory is right over Jamaica. It’s going to get bad.

Sprintzer

Climate refugee crises. We're just getting started. :(

foxontherox

Can anyone with meteorology knowledge explain what does into predicting the path of hurricane? Cuz taking a sharp, almost 90° turn seems crazy

2Autistic4DaJoke

hirespeed

Weather Channel said it’s now “Category Slow”, meaning it’s got an entire different risk profile, crazy what happens when you heat the North Atlantic and storms don’t have anywhere to move the heat to eh?

IKillZombies4Cash

Well, she better knock it off by Saturday, because hurricane season officially ends on November 1.

notyogrannysgrandkid

I hope trump gets his sharpies out ASAP to save us all.

Hadleys158

Category 6 to be added to the Saffir-Simpson Hurricane Wind Scale by 2030… mark my words.

AntarcticAndroid

40 inches of rain moving at 3mph? That's not a hurricane, that's god deciding Jamaica needs to be an underwater theme park

Muffinsbror

Had a cruise stop at Jamaica a few years back, and our tour guy mentioned that their mantra was *"we don't have problems, just situations*" (ie don't dwell on the problem, just deal with it and move on). I really liked that attitude.

I really hope the people can dig out from this inevitable, horrific mess.

roldgold1

No_im_Daaave_man

The eye wall of this beast looks like it might be over 200 miles in diameter. The satellite image is fucking insane. This is going to be really bad.

xxLetheanxx

Hurricane Melissa has intensified into a Category 5 storm, becoming the strongest hurricane recorded to approach Jamaica, threatening catastrophic flooding, landslides, and significant damage across the Caribbean. The hurricane has already caused multiple fatalities and extensive destruction in Haiti and the Dominican Republic. As it moves towards Jamaica, local authorities have implemented evacuation orders and activated shelters in anticipation of severe weather conditions.

Hurricane Melissa

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