🌪 Hurricane Melissa: A Climate Tragedy Unfolding
By Tina Winterlik (Zipolita)
Hurricane Melissa has torn through Jamaica with a fury rarely seen in our lifetimes. This was not a storm that brushed past an island. Melissa slammed into Jamaica as one of the most powerful Atlantic hurricanes in recorded history, ripping through communities with sustained winds near 185 mph (≈295 km/h) and leaving devastation and heartbreak in its wake. (AP)
Over half a million people in Jamaica are now without power. The government has declared a national disaster as families search for safety, clean water, and loved ones. Entire neighborhoods are flooded and mudslides threaten rural towns where roads have been washed away. (Reuters)
Melissa has also struck Cuba’s southern coast, where large-scale evacuations are underway as communities brace for storm surge and catastrophic rainfall. The storm continues to threaten the Bahamas and nearby islands as it moves through the region. (The Guardian)
💔 Why this hurts so much
My heart is with Jamaica. I remember visiting there in 1995 when I worked on a cruise ship — the laughter, the music, the warm spirit of the people. Those memories are vivid, and imagining them now in darkness, rain hammering the earth like a relentless drum, is difficult to hold inside.
Climate change is not theoretical. It is not distant. It is here, pushing storms to intensify over warmer oceans and changing the patterns we thought of as normal. Melissa has shown how quickly a place can go from sunlit market stalls to flooded streets and broken roofs.
⚠️ What people in the path need now
- Safety first: follow official evacuation orders and stay away from flood zones.
- Expect outages: power and communications are likely to be down for days or weeks.
- Storm surge and heavy rain: these are the greatest killers — don’t underestimate them.
🌍 How you can help
If you can, consider donating to reputable relief organizations that are deploying resources and first responders:
If you have friends or family in Jamaica, Cuba, the Bahamas, or nearby islands, keep trying to reach them and share the official updates you can find. Practical help — blankets, bottled water, funds for temporary shelter — will be needed in the weeks to come.
✳️ Why Melissa matters
This storm is historically intense and, because it moved slowly in some phases, it prolonged exposure for communities already vulnerable. Scientists point to warm sea-surface temperatures as a key factor in the storm’s rapid intensification. Melissa is a painful reminder that the climate crisis has real, immediate human costs.
If you can, keep Jamaica and Cuba in your heart. Send love, donate if you can, and share reliable information. Today it’s them; tomorrow it could be any of our shores.
Sources & further reading:
• AP: Coverage of Hurricane Melissa
• The Guardian: Jamaica & Cuba impacts
• Reuters: International support
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