Hurricane Melissa is set to pummel Jamaica as a catastrophic Category 5 storm, the strongest to lash the island since recordkeeping began 174 years ago.
Forecasters said the storm is expected to make landfall early Tuesday and slice diagonally across the island, entering near St. Elizabeth parish in the south and exiting around St. Ann parish in the north.
Hours before the storm, the government said it had done all it could to prepare as it warned of catastrophic damage.
Prime Minister Andrew Holness said, "There is no infrastructure in the region that can withstand a Category 5. The question now is the speed of recovery. That's the challenge."