A Category 4 hurricane named Melissa is expected to intensify rapidly and impact the Turks and Caicos Islands as well as the southeast and central Bahamas on Tuesday and Wednesday, according to a weather alert issued by the U.S. Embassy in Nassau, The Bahamas.
The Bahamas Department of Meteorology released a special statement at 8:00 am warning residents in these areas to prepare for extended periods of heavy rain, strong winds, and coastal flooding starting Tuesday. The National Hurricane Center also warned of an increased risk of significant storm surge, damaging winds, and heavy rainfall by midweek.
"Hurricane Melissa is expected to be a major hurricane when it makes landfall in Jamaica Monday night," stated the alert.
The U.S. Embassy advised people to avoid travel to regions forecasted to be affected by Hurricane Melissa. It recommended considering departure from these areas while flights are still available. Those who choose to stay were cautioned about likely flooding in low-lying locations and advised either to avoid such areas or remain somewhere safe until water levels recede.
Residents are urged to ensure they have emergency supplies including drinking water, non-perishable food items, and fuel. Monitoring local news sources as well as updates from the National Hurricane Center (https://www.nhc.noaa.gov/) and the Bahamas Department of Meteorology (https://met.gov.bs/) was also recommended for ongoing information about the storm’s progress.
For additional updates, people can follow The Bahamas Disaster Risk Management Facebook page for shelter locations and other relevant information: https://www.facebook.com/drm.gov.bs/.
The U.S. Embassy Nassau provided contact details for assistance:
Website: Homepage – U.S. Embassy in The Bahamas (usembassy.gov)
Phone: +1(242) 461-5025
Email: ACSNassau@state.gov
Further resources include State Department Consular Affairs hotlines at 888-407-4747 or 202-501-4444; country-specific travel information for both The Bahamas [The Bahamas International Travel Information (state.gov)] and Turks and Caicos Islands [https://travel.state.gov/content/travel/en/international-travel/International-Travel-Country-Information-Pages/TurksandCaicosIslands.html]; enrollment in the Smart Traveler Enrollment Program (STEP) [step.state.gov]; as well as following embassy social media channels on Facebook [United States Embassy Nassau, The Bahamas | Nassau | Facebook] and Twitter [U.S. Embassy Nassau (@USEmbassyNassau) / X].