Hurricane Melissa may be the strongest to ever hit Jamaica

People in Jamaica are bracing for the impact of Hurricane Melissa, which is expected to unleash damaging 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 Monday, the US-based National Hurricane Center (NHC) said.

Authorities fear that Melissa, already blamed for the deaths of four people on the island of Hispaniola, could become the strongest hurricane ever to hit Jamaica.

The Jamaican government ordered the evacuation of parts of the capital, Kingston, and the entire island was classified as “endangered”.

An update from the NHC at 0900 GMT said Melissa was about 130 miles (209 km) south-southwest of Kingston, Jamaica.

It has maximum sustained winds of 160 mph (260 km/h) and could strengthen further over the next 12 to 24 hours, forecasters warned.

If it continues on the forecast track, its core is expected to “move near or over Jamaica this evening and Tuesday, over southeastern Cuba on Tuesday evening, and over the southeastern Bahamas on Wednesday.”

The storm is particularly slow-moving, making it very dangerous in terms of expected rainfall amounts.

According to the NHC, 40 inches of rain (100 cm) is possible in parts of Jamaica over the next four days.

Forecasters warn that damaging winds and life-threatening storm surges are expected to hit Jamaica overnight or early Tuesday.

Jamaican Prime Minister Andrew Holness ordered the immediate evacuation of several vulnerable communities on the island.

Officials also urged residents in low-lying and flood-prone areas to seek shelter in safer areas.

Jamaica’s Minister of Local Government, Desmond McKenzie, told local media that all 881 shelters on the island were open.

At least three people are known to have died and hundreds of homes flooded in Haiti as Melissa brought torrential rains to the island of Hispaniola.

In the Dominican Republic, located in the eastern part of Hispaniola, one person also died.

Local media identified the victim as a 79-year-old man who was swept away by floods in the capital, Santo Domingo.

A 13-year-old child was also reported missing after being swept away by a strong current while swimming in the sea.

Several people were rescued after being trapped in their cars by the rising waters.