Category 5 Hurricane Melissa Devastates Jamaica as Southern California’s Jamaican Community Watches in Fear

Hurricane Melissa strengthened into a catastrophic Category 5 storm Monday evening, bearing down on Jamaica with 160 mph winds as residents of Inglewood, Compton, and across Southern California with family and friends on the island anxiously monitor the historic storm’s destructive path.

The rare Category 5 hurricane is forecast to make landfall on Jamaica’s southern coast Tuesday morning as the strongest hurricane ever recorded to strike the island nation, surpassing the damage from Hurricane Wilma in 2005, according to Jamaican meteorologists.

“This is unprecedented,” said Dr. Michael Chen, a meteorologist at UCLA who has been tracking the storm. “Hurricane Melissa has undergone explosive intensification, and Jamaica is facing a worst-case scenario.”

The National Hurricane Center warned that Jamaica’s southern coast would experience “life-threatening storm surge” from late Monday through Tuesday morning, peaking between 9 and 13 feet above ground level. Rainfall totals could reach 30 inches across southern Hispaniola and Jamaica through Wednesday, with some areas potentially seeing up to 40 inches.

Southern California is home to one of the largest Jamaican diaspora communities in the United States, with tens of thousands of residents in Inglewood, Compton, and throughout Los Angeles County maintaining close ties to family on the island. Many community members spent the weekend desperately trying to reach loved ones as Jamaica’s airports closed and communications became increasingly difficult.

“My mother is in Kingston, and we’ve been trying to get her to evacuate inland, but the roads are already flooding,” said Sandra Williams, a Compton resident and member of the Jamaican Cultural Association of Southern California. “Everyone in our community is terrified. We’ve never seen a storm like this threaten the island.”

Both of Jamaica’s international airports—Sangster International in Montego Bay and Norman Manley International in Kingston—closed over the weekend, trapping tourists and preventing last-minute evacuations. Emergency shelters have been activated across the country for vulnerable residents.

The storm has already claimed four lives in Haiti and the Dominican Republic this week as its outer bands brought torrential rains and deadly landslides to Hispaniola. One person died in the Dominican Republic from flooding, while three people perished in Haiti from a landslide and falling tree.

After battering Jamaica, Hurricane Melissa is forecast to track northward across eastern Cuba Tuesday night and into Wednesday before potentially affecting the southeastern Bahamas. The U.S. Navy evacuated non-essential personnel from the Guantanamo Bay Naval Base in Cuba on Saturday in preparation for the storm’s arrival.

The storm’s slow forward movement—just 5 mph as of Sunday evening—compounds the danger. Melissa will essentially stall over Jamaica, “sitting there pouring water while it’s barely moving,” according to National Weather Service officials. This prolonged assault will bring catastrophic flash flooding, mudslides, and wind damage to structures across the island.

Several Inglewood churches with large Jamaican congregations have announced plans to organize relief efforts once the storm passes and the extent of damage becomes clear. The Jamaican Cultural Association of Southern California is establishing a disaster relief fund to support recovery efforts.

“Our hearts are with Jamaica tonight,” said Rev. Marcus Thompson of New Hope Community Church in Inglewood, which has a significant Jamaican membership. “We’re praying for everyone on the island and preparing to help however we can once this nightmare passes.”

Residents with family in Jamaica are urged to monitor updates from the National Hurricane Center and Jamaican authorities. The Jamaican Consulate General in Los Angeles is operating an emergency hotline for concerned family members seeking information about loved ones on the island.

Hurricane Melissa is the latest in what has been an unusually active Atlantic hurricane season, with climate scientists noting that warming ocean temperatures are contributing to more rapid storm intensification and higher maximum wind speeds.