As Hurricane Melissa tears across Jamaica, Catholic leaders are urging the faithful to pray for protection, unity, and mercy amid what officials have called “the storm of the century.”
According to Daily Mail reporters Jamie Bullen and Rachel Bowman, Hurricane Melissa made landfall Tuesday as a catastrophic Category 5, bringing sustained winds of 185 mph and torrential rains that threaten “total structural failure” in parts of the island. The National Hurricane Center warned that “failure to act may result in serious injury or loss of life.”
LIGHT A FREE PRAYER CANDLE FOR THE SAFETY OF ALL IN HURRICANE MELISSA’S PATH
Government officials have issued desperate last-minute appeals. Desmond McKenzie, Jamaica’s Minister of Local Government, told citizens to take shelter immediately, saying, “Don’t bet against Melissa — it’s a bet we can’t win.” Meteorologist Evan Thompson added that the storm’s eyewall would bring “catastrophic, life-threatening damage” across much of the island.
As of Tuesday morning, over 35% of Jamaica Public Service customers were without power, particularly in the parishes of St. Elizabeth, Manchester, Hanover, and St. James. The Daily Mail also reports that more than 25,000 tourists remain stranded, with airports closed and emergency flights not expected to resume until Thursday.
The devastation has drawn international attention. “Within the eyewall, total structural failure is likely,” warned National Hurricane Center Director Dr. Michael Brennan. Satellite images from NOAA show Melissa’s vast spiral engulfing Jamaica’s southern coast as the eye passes near Negril.
Catholics across the Caribbean are responding with prayer. Churches in Kingston and Montego Bay have opened as emergency shelters, with priests leading rosaries for safety. “We pray for the people of Jamaica,” said one parish volunteer. “May St. Michael defend them and Our Lady wrap her mantle around the island.”
Melissa is the fifth-strongest hurricane ever recorded in the Atlantic, with a central pressure of 892 millibars—lower than even Hurricane Katrina’s. Despite forecasts that it will weaken as it crosses Jamaica and heads toward Cuba and the Bahamas, officials warn of “historic destruction.”
For Catholics worldwide, this moment is a call to prayer and solidarity. The faithful are invited to light virtual candles and ask for divine protection over those in danger. As the Daily Mail quoted officials urging, “This is not the time to be brave.” For believers, it is the time to be faithful.
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