Study: Climate change made Hurricane Melissa more intense and destructive
Climate change significantly increased wind speeds and rainfall from Hurricane Melissa, according to a new rapid analysis by World Weather Attribution out today, which also found that the atmospheric and oceanic conditions leading to powerful storms are about six times more likely due to climate change.
One model used by researchers from universities and meteorological agencies in Cuba, Jamaica, Ireland, the Netherlands, the US and the UK showed climate change increased Melissa’s maximum wind speeds by 7 per cent and associated rainfall by 16 per cent.
Jamaican Red Cross Director General Yvonne Clarke told the team: “The devastation we’ve witnessed on the ground is on a scale we have never seen before – entire communities battered, lives uprooted, and livelihoods washed away.
“Damage to housing and infrastructure is extensive and thousands have limited access to food and water.”
Melissa was also an example of the phenomenon of rapid intensification that is becoming more frequent due to climate change, the new study confirmed: it accelerated from 110 to 225 kph in just a day as it crossed the Caribbean, leaving a trail of destruction in Haiti, the Dominican Republic, Jamaica and Cuba.
It was the first Category 5 hurricane to make landfall in Jamaica in the island’s modern history.
‘It will take years to recover from Melissa, a storm whose destruction reflects the dangerous reality of human-induced climate change’
Broadly speaking, forecasts provided enough time for Red Cross teams in coordination with the authorities to open and equip shelters, conduct evacuations, disseminate preparedness information and position relief items, likely saving many lives.
In Jamaica, for example, Red Cross teams were working for more than a week to prepare for Melissa’s arrival – setting up shelters, pre-positioning relief items near high-risk areas, and helping communities get ready for the storm.
The IFRC’s Disaster Response Emergency Fund allocated 80,000 Swiss francs well before Melissa’s landfall to enable early action.
Arnoldo Bezanilla, a researcher at Cuba’s Center for Atmospheric Physics who took part in the WWA study, says: “As part of the Cuban response, 735,000 people were safely evacuated before the hurricane, but agricultural areas, roads, houses, and other critical infrastructure suffered severe damage.
“It will take years to fully recover from Hurricane Melissa, a storm whose destruction reflects the dangerous reality of human-induced climate change.”
The IFRC has launched emergency appeals for Jamaica and Cuba, and charter flights over the weekend in Kingston and Santiago de Cuba carrying scores of tons of relief materials including kitchen sets, hygiene kits, bedding, mosquito nets, solar lamps, shelter materials and tarpaulins.
Yvonne Clarke added: “Amidst the shock and despondency among many of those most affected, the determination to rebound and to support each other in that process is stronger than ever.
“Our greatest need now is to gather resources to rebuild homes, deliver aid, restore hope, and reignite livelihoods. We are calling on our global family to stand with us, to lend hands and hearts, and to show that in times of crisis, compassion knows no borders.”
The Swiss Red Cross has deployed a specialized water and sanitation team (pictured) in and around eastern Santiago de Cuba to help provide safe water in areas affected by Hurricane Melissa, in coordination with the Cuban Red Cross. (Photo: Swiss Red Cross via IFRC)