Jamaicans braced for impact on Tuesday as Hurricane Melissa neared landfall, threatening catastrophic storm surges, flash floods, and landslides as the worst storm to hit the Caribbean island this century.

A father-of-three has described the "unbearable" moment the centre of Hurricane Melissa passed over his hotel room in Jamaica where his family had barricaded themselves in. The category 5 storm hit the south west of the Caribbean island earlier bringing catastrophic wind speeds of 185 mph (295 km/h) and risks of flash flooding.

Hurricane Melissa barreled into Jamaica on Tuesday as a Category 5 storm with some of the fastest winds and strongest intensities ever recorded. The storm blew through the Caribbean island’s southwestern coast,

As Hurricane Melissa continues through the Caribbean, members of the Jamaican community in the Greater Boston area are anxiously trying to contact relatives back home.