Storm ‘about to make landfall’ in Jamaica

Al Jazeera update

JAMAICA is bracing for Hurricane Melissa, predicted to be the most destructive storm on record to hit the Caribbean island.

Forecasters say the Category 5 storm is likely to cause “catastrophic” flooding, landslides and widespread damage, and the Red Cross warns that up to 1.5 million people may be directly affected.

Melissa is expected to make landfall early on Tuesday morning, entering near St Elizabeth parish in the south and exiting around St Ann parish in the north.

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 remains missing.