Travel editor Peter Greenberg on Hurricane Melissa leaving travelers stranded: "it's going to affect the infrastructure"
Hurricane Melissa, a Category 5 storm, made landfall on Tuesday in Jamaica — leaving travelers stranded.
CBS News travel editor Peter Greenberg said damage to airports and cruise ports currently poses the biggest threat to travelers in the area.
"The real problem here is, as you just reported, that wind is 180 miles an hour; this is a serious Category 5, and it's going to affect the infrastructure," Greenberg said. "It will have a definite impact if that stays at that sustained wind level, and that could potentially keep people who are stranded in those islands from getting back for a much longer period of time."
Melissa is the most powerful hurricane to lash the island since record-keeping began 174 years ago, and one of the strongest Atlantic storms ever recorded. The hurricane struck Jamaica with sustained winds of 185 mph, the Miami-based National Hurricane Center said.
Landslides, fallen trees and numerous power outages were already being reported earlier Tuesday as the hurricane made its approach, with officials cautioning that the damage assessment will be slow.
Greenberg said while the Jamaica area will not see air service for at least two to three days, cruise ships are in better shape for avoiding disaster.
"The cruises have the ability to reposition themselves. They have good weather forecasting, good advanced forecasting, to bypass many of those ports," Greenberg said. "They've already done that for the airlines. They moved their assets out of the Caribbean about two days ago."