Hurricane Melissa threatens Jamaica in late October ^{CEFR B1}

Melissa moved across the central Caribbean and threatened Jamaica in late October. On Monday October 20 the system was classed as a tropical storm and the Jamaica Meteorological Office warned of heavy rain and strong gusty winds. A week later the met office website was inaccessible with a "Too Many Requests" message, while many people relied on WhatsApp to share photos and official updates.

By October 21 concern grew; photos of dark skies circulated and parliament saw heated debate, with some opposition MPs walking 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 October 24 the met office placed the country under a hurricane warning because Melissa was expected to "rapidly intensify". On October 25 Melissa was upgraded to hurricane status and the National Hurricane Center forecast further intensification to a Cat 3 storm. Local contributors reported differences in impact: Candice in St Catherine lost pipe-borne water on Tuesday October 28 and later lost electricity at 9:47 a.m., while Emma in Kingston still had power because she used solar. Flooding began in some communities and there were reports of displaced animals. Authorities welcomed linesmen from the United States, Canada and St Vincent and the Grenadines to help JPS, issued evacuation orders for some high-risk areas, and made about 130 of over 800 shelters operational. By the prelude to landfall Jamaica had recorded three deaths and 13 injuries, and psychosocial support was offered by the health ministry.