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KINGSTON, Jamaica – The time to prepare is over, and millions of people across the Caribbean island nation of Jamaica are hunkering down and praying for safety as Hurricane Melissa’s catastrophic and historic assault gets underway. For days, Jamaica’s government has been warning its residents and visitors to make preparations ahead of the monster storm’s landfall, and people have been rushing to stock up on food and water to sustain them through what will likely be long-duration power and communication outages due to the storm's ferocious impacts. However, fears are growing that the Category 5 hurricane’s destructive, 175-mph winds may be too strong for buildings to handle, and officials are warning that those winds could lead to "total structural failure" near the path of Melissa’s powerful core. HOW TO WATCH FOX WEATHER Hurricane Melissa has been slowly spinning to the south of Jamaica, moving erratically over the warm waters of the Caribbean. But now Melissa is interacting with a cold front that is starting to pull the storm to the north-northeast and eventually northeast on a path that will likely slice through the middle of the island. Hurricane Melissa is hours away from its expected landfall in Jamaica late Tuesday morning or early Tuesday afternoon, but the storm has already been deadly. "I’m very sad to say that over the past few days in preparation of the storm, we’ve had three deaths," Jamaica’s Minister of Health and Wellness Dr. the Hon. Chrisopher Tufton, MP, said. "Three deaths linked to cutting down of trees. And in one instance, electrocution because of or due to the cutting down of a tree." Injuries have also been reported, with Tufton saying most injuries were due to people falling from trees or rooftops, car crashes and one person who was walking through water and had "a nail penetrate their skin." DOWNLOAD THE FREE FOX WEATHER APP Most people across Jamaica have been seeking shelter inside sturdy structures, but Jamaica Prime Minister Andrew Holness said shelter occupancy has been low in some parishes. Officials said there are more than 800 shelters open for residents, but as of Monday night, only 76 were in use. Those numbers were expected to rise, however. "Shelters are free and safe," Holness said in a Facebook post. "Families stay together, and residents should bring medications, water and snacks. False reports about fees or restrictions should be ignored." But time is quickly running out for those who have still not made it into shelters, as conditions are deteriorating rapidly across Jamaica. "Remain sheltered," the National Hurricane Center (NHC) said in its latest advisory. "Catastrophic flash flooding, landslides and destructive winds will continue through today, causing widespread infrastructure damage, power and communication outages and isolated communities." And along the southern coast of Jamaica, a life-threatening storm surge and damaging waves lashing beaches are likely. The NHC issued an ominous warning to residents of Jamaica in its latest forecast discussion: "Failure to act may result in serious injury or loss of life."
