Tropical Storm Melissa continued its slow, relentless march toward Jamaica on Thursday, prompting the Government to implement further emergency preparations as the island braced for nature’s looming fury.

During a mid-morning news conference at Jamaica House, Meteorological Service of Jamaica Weather Services Manager Rohan Brown said that tropical storm conditions are likely within 36 hours and hurricane conditions are possible within the next 48 hours as Melissa is still evolving and could intensify into a major hurricane while positioned south of Jamaica this weekend.

Emergency protocols have been fully activated at the island’s international airports, public hospitals entered emergency mode, Jamaica Public Service Company said it has adopted a new “game-changing” incident command structure aimed at delivering faster and safer power restoration, while other major utilities — Flow, Digicel, and the National Water Commission — have declared full readiness.

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