Jamaican prime minister implores public to shelter from Hurricane Melissa as some refuse evacuation

Jamaican PM implores residents to take shelter as island braces for Hurricane MelissaReuters

Transcript

00:00we have always had a very slow if not non-response to the call for evacuation

00:08and it is a balance between respecting the rights of persons to stay and protect their property

00:16and trying to balance the national good of saving lives and the expenditure of resources

00:23unnecessarily we are in that zone where we have given the information no one can say that the

00:29government was not forward-leaning in giving the information to persons who are in areas of risk

00:40you have been warned so it's now up to you to use that information to make the right decisions

00:48we urge persons to stay inside stay within the precincts of your home the curtilage of your

00:56property don't venture outside unnecessarily because the winds as you can see you can pick up at any

01:06time the rains can come at any time you can be caught in a flash flood so we urge you to at this time

01:13stay inside that's the safest place to be at the moment