Hurricane Melissa makes landfall in Westmoreland as devastating Category 5 storm

Hurricane Melissa has made landfall in New Hope in Westmoreland, on Jamaica’s south coast, becoming the most powerful hurricane to strike the island.

Landfall was reported around noon Tuesday

The storm has already brought catastrophic winds, torrential rain, and a life-threatening storm surge, leaving thousands without power and Internet, and flooded communities.

The US National Hurricane Center confirmed that Melissa’s eye crossed the coastline on Tuesday.

The Category 5 system is one of the most intense hurricanes on record.

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It is packing winds of more than 185 mph (295 km/h) and moving at 9 mph (15 km/h).

Jamaica’s central and western parishes are expected to bear the brunt of the hurricane.

It was most recently expected to make landfall in St Elizabeth, but shifted, causing the system to make landfall in Westmoreland.

Evan Thompson, head of the Meteorological Service, said the storm will continue northeast across northern St Elizabeth and southern Trelawny before exiting near the parish’s eastern end.

He warned of “significant rainfall … [and] significant flooding” and said tropical-storm-force winds and storm surge are expected across the island’s southern coast.

The Meteorological Service has warned of devastating wind damage, flooding rains of 15 to 30 inches, and a storm surge of up to 13 feet along southern parishes.

Widespread power outages have been reported, rivers are overflowing, and emergency officials said Tuesday shelter numbers were rising as conditions deteriorate rapidly.

There have also been reports of flooding in many coastal communities in St Catherine, St Elizabeth and Westmoreland, parishes which suffered the brunt of Hurricane Beryl, which skirted the south coast in July last year.

On Monday, Prime Minister Dr Andrew Holness warned that a hit from a Category 5 system would be devastating for the island.

“A category five hurricane will definitely damage roofs, it will definitely compromise infrastructure, even concrete infrastructure, it will scour roads, it will destroy agriculture and vegetation. No doubt, it will impact our ports and airports; there is no question about that," he said.

Earlier on Tuesday, Transport Minister Daryl Vaz said efforts were under way to assess equipment at the Norman Manley International Airport in Kingston to determine whether it could be opened to receive relief supplies as early as Thursday.

He said that the option was being considered, given that the hurricane's path shifted from the eastern to the southwestern end of the country.