Amarie Davis kept herself busy on Monday night editing photos and videos while barricaded in her hotel room as the most powerful storm in Jamaica’s history, Hurricane Melissa, made its way toward the island.
Ms. Davis had arrived from New Hampshire for a holiday with her cousin a week ago, and the two were planning to fly out on Tuesday morning. But the worst of Hurricane Melissa’s onslaught was expected then, and Sangster International Airport in Montego Bay was closed by the authorities on Sunday, leaving them stranded until Friday at the earliest.
Norman Manley International Airport, which serves Kingston,has been closed since Saturday.
On Monday night, the wind was calm and rains were mild in Trelawny, a parish on the northwest side of the island where Ms. Davis and her cousin were staying in a resort. Still, they joined other guests in upending their beds and using them to block the windows, in case the hurricane shattered the glass.
Rooms in the hotel had no storm shutters, Ms. Davis said. Photos posted on social media by vacationers showed that many resorts across the island were similarly unprepared, even as officials warned of dangerous winds and up to three feet of rain. Jamaica, a small country that depends on tourism for about a third of its annual revenue, has limited resources to prepare for devastating storms.
Andrew Swaby, the mayor of Kingston, the capital, said in a social media post on Monday that at least a dozen people without homes were taken off the streets and placed in shelters ahead of the storm. He urged the city’s residents, particularly in Rae Town, a fishing community on the water’s edge, to evacuate.
“We believe it is prone to flooding — they are right by the gully — when the storm surge comes,” Mr. Swaby said.
Katrina Newman of Cincinnati said she had not heard from her husband, a fisherman who lives in Kingston, since Sunday night. He had been helping neighbors board up their homes, while women and children were evacuated in buses to Port Royal’s historic Naval Hospital, which is on higher ground.
Resorts and tour operators urged their guests to stay indoors until the hurricane passed. Videos posted on social media showed long lines for the dinner buffet at one property on Monday night, while the staff at another hotel played music and danced to entertain children.
Francesca Regalado is a Times reporter covering breaking news.
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