Hurricane Melissa threatens Jamaica in late October ^{CEFR B2}

Melissa moved across the central Caribbean in late October and strengthened as it approached Jamaica. On Monday October 20 the system was a tropical storm and the Jamaica Meteorological Office issued warnings about heavy rain and strong gusty winds. A week later the met office website was inaccessible with a "Too Many Requests" message, and many Jamaicans used WhatsApp to exchange observations and official updates.

By Tuesday October 21 WhatsApp chats reflected rising concern. Photos of dark skies circulated and parliament held heated debate about hurricane readiness; some opposition MPs walked out. The government held press conferences and Prime Minister Andrew Holness declared Jamaica a "threatened area", issuing a trade order to prevent price gouging of essentials such as food, water, medical supplies, building materials and emergency equipment.

On Friday October 24 the met office placed the country under a hurricane warning as Melissa was expected to "rapidly intensify." On Saturday October 25 Melissa was upgraded to hurricane status and, within an hour, the National Hurricane Center forecast further intensification to a Category 3 storm. Reports from the east of the island described rough conditions while Kingston was at times calm with rain but little wind. Many people compared the event to Hurricane Beryl the previous year and to Hurricane Gilbert in 1988.

Contributors Emma Lewis and Candice Stewart described local differences in impact. Candice, who lives inland in the parish of St. Catherine, said she lost pipe-borne water in the early hours of Tuesday October 28 and that her electricity went out at 9:47 a.m. Emma, in Kingston, relied on solar power and still had electricity at the time of publishing. Flooding began in some communities and there were reports of crocodiles and other displaced animals in flood waters.

Authorities prepared for damage to power and infrastructure and welcomed teams of linesmen from the United States, Canada and St Vincent and the Grenadines to assist the Jamaica Public Service (JPS) with post-storm restoration. Evacuation orders were issued for some high-risk areas and, out of over 800 shelters nationwide, about 130 had been made operational with plans to open more. Health centres were closed but major hospitals remained open. By the prelude to landfall Jamaica had recorded three deaths — two from falling trees and one from electrocution — and 13 injuries, mostly from falls from ladders or rooftops; psychosocial support was being offered by the health ministry. Officials warned that conditions would continue to deteriorate ahead of landfall, which was expected sometime on Tuesday October 28, and warned of widespread impacts as Melissa approached.