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In early July 2005, Hurricane Dennis brushed Jamaica, bringing torrential rain and damaging floods to the island nation. Forming from a tropical depression on July 4, Dennis began impacting Jamaica three days later. Approximately 6,000 people evacuated from coastal and flood-prone areas prior to the storm's arrival while relief agencies allocated resources for recovery operations. Passing northeast of the island, impact from Dennis stemmed primarily from rainfall—accumulations peaked at and reached 1-in-50 year event levels. Widespread flooding and landslides damaged homes and isolated communities. Saint Thomas and Portland Parishes were hardest-hit; hundreds required evacuation as multiple rivers burst their banks. Overall, 209,000 people were affected with 6,000 households requesting assistance. A week after Dennis, Hurricane Emily brought further rain to the island, exacerbating damage. Their combined effects damaged or destroyed 440 homes with total losses reaching J$5.976 billion (US$96.87 million). One person died due to flooding. Relief operations began before the hurricane subsided, and international communities provided further aid. The overall effects of Dennis were limited and the nation's economy sustained no major ramifications. ==Background and preparations== On July 4, 2005, the National Hurricane Center classified a tropical depression near the Windward Islands. This system moved briskly to the west-northwest, becoming Tropical Storm ''Dennis'' the following day. Taking advantage of highly favorable environmental factors, such as low wind shear and high sea surface temperatures, Dennis rapidly intensified. By July 6, the system reached hurricane strength as it began traversing the Jamaica Channel. Around 18:00 UTC on July 7, the hurricane passed 30 mi (45 km) northeast of Port Antonio—60 mi (95 km) northeast of Kingston—with maximum sustained winds of 120 mph (195 km/h)—a Category 3 on the Saffir–Simpson hurricane wind scale. The system subsequently struck Cuba as a Category 4 twice before moving over the Gulf of Mexico. It ultimately moved inland over Florida as a Category 3 on July 10 and dissipated over the Great Lakes eight days later. Late on July 5, the Government of Jamaica issued a hurricane watch for the nation as Dennis intensified over the eastern Caribbean. This was upgraded to a hurricane warning early on July 6. The warning remained in place for 48 hours as the hurricane brushed the island, being discontinued on July 8 as Dennis moved over northern Cuba and no longer posed a direct threat to Jamaica.〔 Following the issuance of the hurricane warning, Jamaica's National Emergency Operations Center and Parish Emergency Operations Center were activated.〔 At the behest of Jamaica's Office of Disaster Preparedness and Emergency Management, the Caribbean Disaster Emergency Management Agency allocated resources to assist the nation following the passage of Dennis. The Jamaican Red Cross also notified its branches of the storm, placing personnel and volunteers on standby on July 7. The Jamaica Defence Force Coast Guard assisted with evacuations of Pedro Bank and Morant Cays. Shelters prepped for opening by the evening of July 6 and Norman Manley International Airport ceased operations at 04:00 UTC (11:00 p.m. local time) and Sangster International Airport following soon thereafter. By July 7, 30 shelters opened across five parishes, with at least 793 people using their services.〔 Some officials complained that residents refused to evacuate. However, as the storm impacted the island this number dramatically increased to 6,000 people with shelters open in all parishes. Approximately J$25 million (US$405,000) was made available for relief operations through the nation's Disaster Mitigation Programme. An additional J$20 million (US$324,000) was allocated for clearing drains in preparation for heavy rain. 抄文引用元・出典: フリー百科事典『 ウィキペディア（Wikipedia）』 ■ウィキペディアで「Effects of Hurricane Dennis in Jamaica」の詳細全文を読む スポンサード リンク
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