Quebecers in Jamaica brace for Hurricane Melissa as storm barrels toward Cuba

Hurricane Melissa, the year’s strongest storm, is battering Jamaica with winds over 280 km/h as it moves toward Cuba.

Hurricane Melissa’s outer bands are already lashing Jamaica, and the storm is expected to make landfall early Tuesday morning. The system, which has already killed six people in the northern Caribbean, is now being called the strongest storm on the planet this year.

Residents in Jamaica are preparing for the worst as winds from the Category 5 hurricane are expected to reach more than 280 kilometres an hour, accompanied by heavy rainfall.

Former Montreal resident Amwu Clarity, who owns the O’Tabarnac Bar in Negril, says she and her business partner, also a former Montrealer, have stocked up on essentials.

“We have provisions, we have extra water stocked up. Yeah. We’re pretty much waiting, to be honest,” Clarity said.

In Montego Bay, Randy Longshaw, another former Montrealer, says he feels fortunate to have a strong home.

“Basically, a lot of people [in the neighbourhood] are scared because they have those zinc roofs. They put blocks on top of their roofs and all that kind of stuff. Where I live, it’s basically concrete, and the roofs are concrete and all that kind of stuff,” he said.

Prime Minister Andrew Holness said shelters are in place across the island.

“We have over 880 shelters — 881, I believe — and I have personally visited shelters during disasters. It is not always a satisfying experience, but they do serve a critical purpose, particularly for those persons who have no alternative,” Holness said.

The honorary consul for Jamaica in Montreal said there could be hundreds of Quebecers still stranded but noted that they still have internet access.

“So there are live cameras set up which can show exactly what’s going on in different parts of the country, which leads to a bit less anxiety, because now you don’t have to imagine things — you can actually see things.”

Early Wednesday morning, Hurricane Melissa is forecast to hit the southeastern part of Cuba.

Vilma Rodriguez, who is part of Montreal’s Cuban diaspora, said she is very scared for the safety of her family, who live in Baracoa, about a 15-hour drive from the capital, Havana.

“I feel very sad because people in Cuba aren’t prepared for a hurricane of that size,” Rodriguez said.

She said Baracoa has been hit hard by hurricanes in the past, with many rivers overflowing and many deaths.

“Right now, I haven’t been able to communicate with [my family] because the connection isn’t very good,” she said.

“They’re evacuating people who can be moved, especially those with fewer resources. That’s the situation in eastern Cuba — people are very worried and anxious about losing what little they have.”

Rodriguez noted that with Cuba’s current shortages, including medicine and electricity, the impact of such a massive storm could be devastating.

“People often go hours without power, which means they can’t charge their phones. Sometimes they can’t communicate at all. They save what little battery they have for emergencies. I have friends here who are very worried because they can barely reach their families over there for that reason.”

Hurricane Melissa is expected to move toward the Bahamas after crossing Cuba.