#EyeOnMelissa: Rae Town residents evacuate on eve of Hurricane Melissa
KINGSTON, Jamaica — Residents of Rae Town made the decision to evacuate the seaside fishing village Sunday evening with assistance from the Mayor of Kingston, Andrew Swaby.
The evacuation comes before Hurricane Melissa is expected to hit the island as a major hurricane Monday night or Tuesday morning, and is forecast to bring life-threatening storm surge, wind and rain.
Rae Town is one of the many seaside communities facing flood risk.
Residents, including the elderly and families, were ferried via Jamaica Urban Transit Company buses to the Holy Family Primary School, which is being operated as a shelter.
Authorities, including politicians, disaster preparedness agents and police officers, have for several days been urging residents in evacuation areas to move into shelters, with mixed results.
Mayor of Kingston Andrew Swaby aboard a JUTC bus ferrying Rae Town residents to shelters before the arrival of Hurricane Melissa
