Melissa prepares to hit Jamaica as the strongest hurricane ever recorded

Kingston, Jamaica — Hurricane Melissa was about to hit Jamaica on Tuesday when a catastrophic Category 5 stormthe strongest to hit the island since records began to be kept 174 years ago.

The storm was It is expected to make landfall early Tuesday. and will cut diagonally across the island, entering near St. Elizabeth Parish in the south and exiting around St. Ann Parish in the north, forecasters said.

Hours before the storm, the government said it had done everything it could to prepare as it warned of catastrophic damage.

“There is no infrastructure in the region that can support a category 5,” said Prime Minister Andrew Holness. “The question now is the speed of recovery. That is the challenge.”

Landslides, downed trees and numerous power outages were reported ahead of the storm, and Jamaican officials warned that cleanup and damage assessment would be slow.

Melissa is expected to bring 15 to 30 inches of rain to areas of Jamaica and 6 to 12 inches south of Hispaniola (the island divided into Haiti and the Dominican Republic) through Wednesday, with a total of 40 inches possible in some places, the hurricane center said. “Catastrophic flash floods and numerous landslides are likely,” the center stressed.

For eastern Cuba, rainfall totals could reach 10 to 20 inches, with up to 25 inches in some locations from Monday through Wednesday, which could result in “potentially catastrophic and life-threatening flash floods with numerous landslides,” the center added.

And rain totals of 5 to 10 inches are expected today through Wednesday in the southeastern Bahamas, causing areas of flash flooding.

A life-threatening storm surge of up to 13 feet is expected across southern Jamaica, and officials are concerned about the impact on some hospitals along the coast. Health Minister Christopher Tufton said some patients were moved from the ground floor to the second floor “and we hope that will be sufficient for any surge that occurs.”

The storm has already been blamed for seven deaths in the Caribbean, including three in Jamaica, three in Haiti and one in the Dominican Republic, where another person was missing.

Melissa was centered about 135 miles southwest of Kingston and about 310 miles southwest of Guantánamo, Cuba. The system had maximum sustained winds of 175 mph, well above the minimum of 157 mph needed to reach the summit of the the Saffir-Simpson hurricane wind scale. It was moving northeast at 2 mph, according to the hurricane center.

“We will get through this together,” said Evan Thompson, senior director of Jamaica’s meteorological service.

Colin Bogle, a Mercy Corps advisor based near Kingston, said most families are sheltering in their homes despite the government ordering evacuations in flood-prone communities.

“Many have never experienced anything like this before and the uncertainty is terrifying,” he said. “There is a deep fear of losing homes and livelihoods, of being injured and of being displaced.”

Matthew Samuda, Jamaica’s water and environment minister, said he had more than 50 generators available to install after the storm, but warned people to reserve clean water and use it sparingly.

“Every drop will count,” he said.

Melissa was also expected to make landfall in eastern Cuba on Tuesday night as a powerful hurricane.

A hurricane warning was in effect for the provinces of Granma, Santiago de Cuba, Guantánamo and Holguín, while a tropical storm warning was in effect for Las Tunas. Up to 20 inches of rain was forecast for parts of Cuba, along with significant storm surge along the coast.

Cuban authorities said Monday they were evacuating more than 600,000 people from the region, including Santiago, the island’s second-largest city.

Melissa has also flooded the southern regions of Haiti and the Dominican Republic, with a tropical storm warning still in effect for Haiti.

The hurricane was forecast to turn northeast past Cuba and hit the southeastern Bahamas on Wednesday night.

A hurricane warning was in effect for the southeastern and central Bahamas, and a tropical storm warning was in effect for the Turks and Caicos Islands.

He US Department of State issued natural disaster travel alerts for Cuba, Jamaica, Haiti and the Bahamas on Monday, urging U.S. citizens to consider leaving while flights were still available, or to be prepared to shelter in place.

And CBS News confirmed that a National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration hurricane hunter plane was forced to abort its mission Monday when it experienced “severe turbulence” in the southwest wall of the storm’s eye.