People in Jamaica are bracing for the impact of Hurricane Melissa, which is forecast to unleash destructive winds and bring catastrophic flooding to the Caribbean nation in the coming hours.
Melissa was upgraded to a category five hurricane – the maximum strength – early on Monday, the US-based National Hurricane Center (NHC) said.
The authorities fear that Melissa, which has already been blamed for the deaths of four people on the island of Hispaniola, could become the strongest hurricane ever to hit Jamaica. storm surge is expected later on Monday and into Tuesday
The Jamaican government has ordered evacuations for parts of the capital, Kingston, and the entire island has been classed as “threatened”.
An update from the NHC at 12:00GMT said that Melissa was about 135 miles (220km) southwest of Kingston, Jamaica.
