By KEILE CAMPBELL

Tribune Staff Reporter

kcampbell@tribunemedia.net

EIGHTY Bahamian nationals were evacuated from Jamaica on Friday as Tropical Storm Melissa churned through the central Caribbean, with forecasters warning that the system could rapidly strengthen into a Category 5 hurricane.

According to Alveta Knight, Consul General for The Bahamas in Jamaica, the Ministry of Foreign Affairs coordinated an evacuation flight that departed Norman Manley International Airport in Kingston around 3pm, carrying Bahamian students and other nationals.

Some students, however, have opted to remain in Jamaica and ride out the storm.

Victoria Jean-Jacques, president of the Bahamian Student Association at the University of the West Indies, Mona Campus, expressed gratitude to the government for facilitating the evacuation, describing the decision as an act of support and care.

“While a number of students are taking advantage of this generous offer and are currently being accommodated by the Bahamian government for the evacuation, it is important to note that not every student is departing Jamaica,” Ms Jean-Jacques said. 

“A cohort of students have remained on the island and they have chosen to do so for personal reasons. I want to assure the public and their families that they are in continuous contact and receiving regular official updates from both the University of the West Indies and the government of Jamaica’s disaster preparedness agencies.”

Ms Jean-Jacques said the association’s priority remains the safety and wellbeing of all Bahamian students, urging those remaining on the island to closely monitor weather bulletins and follow guidance from Jamaica’s Office of Disaster Preparedness and Emergency Management (ODPEM).

At midday on Friday, Ms Jean-Jacques said conditions in Kingston were described as “calm, sunny, with only a few clouds,” though the association pledged to keep families updated as the storm progresses.

Meteorologists expect Tropical Storm Melissa to intensify into a hurricane over the weekend, placing Jamaica in the threat zone for heavy rainfall, strong winds, and possible storm surge. The country is currently under a tropical storm watch, which forecasters said could be upgraded to a hurricane watch or warning as conditions evolve.

While most forecast models do not project a direct hit on The Bahamas, the Bahamas Department of Meteorology (BDM) said it continues to monitor Melissa’s movement. In a special weather statement issued Friday, the department said the storm was nearly stationary over the north-central Caribbean Sea, about 360 miles south of Matthew Town, Inagua, 440 miles southwest of Providenciales, Turks and Caicos, and 675 miles south-southeast of New Providence.

The BDM cautioned that if the system maintains its current track, the south-western islands of the Southeast Bahamas could experience tropical-storm or hurricane-force conditions beginning Tuesday, spreading to the rest of the Southeast and Central Bahamas between Wednesday and Thursday.

“The magnitude of potential impacts is predicated on the intensity of Melissa as it approaches The Bahamas,” the BDM statement read. “Melissa is forecast to interact with major mountainous landmarks, such as those in Jamaica and Cuba or Hispaniola, which could potentially weaken the system slightly as it nears the Southeast and Central Bahamas late Tuesday and Wednesday.”

Residents in the southern islands were urged to monitor official advisories and prepare for prolonged periods of heavy rainfall, strong winds, and coastal inundation early next week should the forecast track remain unchanged.