Category 5 Hurricane Melissa nears landfall in Jamaica
Hurricane Melissa is nearing landfall on Jamaica, poised to become the strongest storm to hit the island in 174 years of recorded history.
Melissa is a Category 5 storm with sustained wind speeds of 185 mph (295 kph). It is expected to slice diagonally across the island, entering near St. Elizabeth parish in the south and exiting around St. Ann parish in the north, before heading for Cuba, News.Az reports citing foreign media.
A life-threatening storm surge of up to 13 feet (4 meters) is expected across southern Jamaica.
Officials said there was no more preparation they could do and cautioned that the cleanup and damage assessment will be slow. The storm has already been blamed for at least seven deaths in the Caribbean — three in Jamaica, three in Haiti and one in the Dominican Republic.
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