Category-5 Hurricane Melissa is expected to strike Jamaica’s coast at any moment, with the eye of the storm now less than 40 miles from land, according to reports on Tuesday (October 28).

Authorities have urged coastal residents to move to higher ground or designated shelters as the storm, packing winds of up to 175 miles (282 kilometers) per hour, approaches. However, many locals are refusing to leave their homes.

Roy Brown, a resident of Port Royal near Kingston, told AFP, “I’m not leaving. I don’t believe I can escape death.” He cited poor conditions in government-run hurricane shelters as the main reason for staying behind.

Similarly, local fisherwoman Jennifer Ramdial said she had no plans to evacuate.

Satellite data from Zoom Earth shows that Melissa is now about 64 kilometers off the Jamaican coast. Local media have already reported casualties linked to the storm’s impact.

Officials warn that if Hurricane Melissa makes landfall, it could cause devastating damage across Jamaica’s coastal areas.

A low-pressure area over the southeast Bay of Bengal and adjoining regions has intensified into a depression and may further develop into a cyclonic storm named Mongtha, meaning “fragrant flower” in Thai, according to the Bangladesh Meteorological Department (BMD).

In a special weather bulletin (No. 1) issued on Saturday (October 25), the BMD reported that the depression was centered at 6 a.m. about 1,320 km south of Chattogram port, 1,245 km south of Cox’s Bazar, 1,320 km south of Mongla, and 1,270 km south of Payra port.

Within 44 kilometers of the depression’s center, the maximum sustained wind speed was recorded at 40 km per hour, with gusts reaching up to 50 km per hour. The sea around the area has become rough.

The Met office said the system is likely to move in a west-northwesterly direction and intensify into a cyclonic storm.

Authorities have advised Chattogram, Cox’s Bazar, Mongla, and Payra seaports to hoist distant cautionary signal No. 1. All fishing boats and trawlers operating in the North Bay and deep sea have been instructed to stay close to the coast and proceed with caution until further notice.

After the onset of Kartik month, rainfall across Bangladesh has almost stopped, while temperature and heat intensity have risen noticeably. The Bangladesh Meteorological Department (BMD) reports that a low-pressure area over the southwest Bay of Bengal and adjoining areas has turned into a well-marked low.

According to the Met Office, the system may intensify further and has the potential to develop into a cyclone. It could bring isolated rain in some areas.

Meteorologist Bazlur Rashid told Kalbela that the well-marked low may develop into a depression by Wednesday. “It is still uncertain whether it will turn into a cyclone, but since the monsoon season has ended, conditions over the sea are favorable for cyclone formation,” he said.

The weather bulletin added that the system currently remains over the same region, and its possible path or landfall area may be known by Wednesday.

In its latest 120-hour forecast, the BMD said that a few places in the Chattogram division might experience rain or thundershowers, while weather across the rest of the country is likely to remain mainly dry with partly cloudy skies. Day and night temperatures are expected to remain nearly unchanged.