The ultra-relativistic storm that night turned into a Category 5 hurricane: A threat to the South of Haiti and the Dominican Republic

The intensely powerful storm was upgraded to a Category 5 hurricane Monday night, making it the earliest Atlantic hurricane of that strength on record.

The NHC says that the storm could dump up to eight inches of rain across Jamaica, and that a storm surge could raise water levels by up to 9 feet.

“I’m encouraging all Jamaicans to take the hurricane as a serious threat,” Jamaican Prime Minister Andrew Holness said in a video message Monday. “It is however not a time for panic. We need to be very calculated and strategic in our approach at this time. We have 48 hours in which to prepare.”

There were watches in effect for parts of Haiti’s southern coast. Other parts of Haiti’s coast, as well as parts of the southern coast of the Dominican Republic, were under a tropical storm warning.

The first Category 4 storm to hit Jamaica: The grim state of the situation in the Strait of Sucre, the island of Jamaica

Mitchell said the situation was grim after talking with a local official. “There is no power. There is almost complete destruction of homes and buildings on the island. The roads are not passable, and in many instances they are cut off because of the large quantity of debris strewn all over the streets.”

This early in the season is not usual, but it is the worst for an Atlantic hurricane of its size to occur. It was the first ever Category 4 storm to hit June when it was upgraded to a Category 4 storm over the weekend.

Climate change is making powerful storms more common. Warmer ocean temperatures caused by climate change are helping to drive what the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration predicted would be an unusually intense hurricane season in the Atlantic this year, with forecasters expecting as many as 17 to 25 named storms.

On Wednesday, all three of Jamaica’s international airports are closed, and there is a risk of fires and equipment being damaged.

“This is to ensure the safety of everyone during the passage of the storm and prevent any movement with the intent to carry out criminal activity,” Holness said in an Instagram video.

According to the New York Times, officials said that 98% of Carriacou’s buildings had been damaged or destroyed. According to the AP, three storm-related deaths have been confirmed there.

“The possibility that there may be more fatalities remains a grim reality as movement is still highly restricted,” Prime Minister Dickon Mitchell said at a news conference on Tuesday.

Two other deaths have been reported in northern Venezuela’s Sucre state, where authorities said another five people are unaccounted for and a total of 25,000 have been affected by heavy rains, winds and river flooding from the outer bands of the storm.

The United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change (UNFCCC) Sensitivities to Tropical Storms: President Biden, National Coordinator Beryl Williams, and U.S. Senator Beryl Stiell

President Biden said at a Tuesday news conference that “people in impacted islands and communities are in our prayers, and we stand by to provide assistance to them.”

The Washington, D.C.-based nonprofit World Central Kitchen also announced on Tuesday that it has teams mobilizing to distribute food — starting with sandwiches — to people in need across the region including in Antigua, Grenada, and St. Vincent and the Grenadines.

It says tropical storm conditions are expected along the south coast of Hispaniola on Wednesday, and possible along the coast of Belize by Thursday or early Friday.

The Texas Division of Emergency Management announced Tuesday that residents and visitors in coastal areas should heed local warnings and have a plan ready in case of bad weather, particularly over the weekend.

“While our carbon emissions are miniscule, our region bears the brunt of the impacts of climate change,” he added. “This hurricane further highlights the urgent need for global climate action and targeted support to enhance resilience against the escalating dangers of climate change.”

Senator Delroy Williams from Jamaica told CNN that more must be done to widen access to climate change funding for coastal cities and to improve infrastructure in low lying areas.

Beryl made that conversation extra personal for Simon Stiell, the executive secretary of the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change and a native of Carriacou.

His late grandmother’s home was destroyed, and his parents’ property was damaged, his office told AFP. He did not think climate change was a tomorrow problem.

It’s happening in every economy. “Disasters on a scale that used to be the stuff of science fiction are becoming meteorological facts, and the climate crisis is the chief culprit.”