Hurricane Melissa has already caused massive unrest in the world. According to the reports of the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration, the hurricane is rapidly strengthening. And now, life-threatening impacts and expectations of flash floods and landslides are expected in Southern Hispaniola and Jamaica. While Jamaica braces itself for impact, Elaine Thompson-Herah also urges her countrymen to stay safe. 

Taking to her Instagram Stories, the second-fastest 100m woman in history wrote, “Please be safe y’all and be smart 🙏.” Her hometown Manchester Parish, located in the west-central part of Jamaica, is also affected by heavy rainfall due to Hurricane Melissa. 

The tropical storm is cruising through the waters with a wind speed of 140 mph and has become a Category 3 hurricane on the Saffir-Simpson Hurricane Wind Scale.. The Jamaican public has been warned about rainfall, floods, and strong winds on October 27 and 28. Unfortunately, residents are also anticipating significant damage to infrastructure along with power outages. Nevertheless, the Jamaican authorities have turned on their emergency mode. 

Jamaican authorities have implored residents to evacuate to nearly 900 shelters around the country, providing assistance to those wanting to leave. On Sunday night, Prime Minister Andrew Holness issued mandatory evacuation orders for Port Royal in Kingston and six other areas.

But Thompson-Herah’s concern for her homeland goes far beyond the effects of Hurricane Melissa. She is also a philanthropist, working for the welfare of her community with her charitable foundation. 

Elaine Thompson-Herah’s philanthropic stance in the past

Back in December 2021, the Jamaican star launched the FastElaine Foundation to help vulnerable children in underserved communities. That was also the time when Thompson-Herah distributed care packages filled with food items, toiletries, and school supplies in the wake of COVID-19 restrictions.

While this act received a lot of attention on social media, the Olympic champion and her foundation partnered with NCB Foundation in January 2022 and handed out more than 500 packages to the locals in Banana Ground and surrounding areas.  

Now, as the tropical storm Melissa rapidly gets stronger every passing moment, Elaine Thompson-Herah makes a heartfelt plea to everyone to stay safe and protect themselves. In fact, as per the Jamaican authorities both international airports were closed and 881 shelters had been activated for the safety and well-being o its residents.