Tropical Storm Melissa has reached the Bahamas, bringing with it destructive winds, heavy rainfall, and a dangerous storm surge, as reported by the National Hurricane Center. The storm had previously impacted Jamaica and Cuba.
With sustained winds of approximately 150 kilometers per hour, Melissa is currently classified as a Category 1 hurricane, moving its center rapidly in a northeastern direction, according to meteorologists.
The Bahamian government has ordered evacuations in six islands among the more than 700 that make up the archipelago. Approximately 1,500 individuals were airlifted from threatened areas before air travel was suspended, as stated by officials. Prime Minister Philip Davis remarked, “Whatever happens, we will rebuild.”
Only about 30 of the islands in the Bahamas are inhabited, and the tourism sector serves as the main source of income, while parts of the land and surrounding waters are designated as natural reserves. A hurricane warning remains in effect for southeastern and central regions of the country.
In a related study, it was found that climate change driven by human activities has quadrupled the likelihood of experiencing a hurricane like Melissa, which has been deemed the worst storm to strike Jamaica on record.
The research, conducted by scientists from Imperial College London, indicates that warming primarily caused by fossil fuel combustion has increased both the probability and severity of this hurricane. Lead researcher Ralph Toomey stated that it is evident that human-induced climate change has rendered Hurricane Melissa more powerful and destructive.
Toomey, who heads the Grantham Institute, a climate change research center at Imperial College, noted that such storms will cause greater damage in the future if we continue to elevate global temperatures through fossil fuel use.
The team mapped millions of theoretical storm paths under different climate conditions, concluding that in a cooler world, a hurricane like Melissa would make landfall in Jamaica approximately every 8,100 years. Under current conditions, however, this interval has decreased to just 1,700 years.
Meanwhile, at least 10 people have died this week due to flooding in central Vietnam, which has submerged over 128,000 homes, according to authorities. The flooding resulted from record-high rainfall experienced in coastal provinces of central Vietnam since last Sunday, with rainfall levels reaching 1.7 meters in just 24 hours.
The Ministry of Environment reported that at least 10 individuals lost their lives, with eight others reported missing. The ministry added that the floods have also impacted more than 128,000 homes across five provinces in central Vietnam, where water levels reached up to 3 meters in some areas.