Now a Category 4 storm, Melissa is expected to cross into the island nation entering near St. Elizabeth parish in the south and exiting at St. Ann parish in the north.

The storm will then head towards Cuba.

Jamaicans in the GTA concerned for loved ones on island

GTA residents with roots in Jamaica are thinking and praying for their loved ones back home as Hurricane Melissa made landfall on the island on Tuesday.

Dubbed Jamaica’s “storm of the century” by the World Meteorological Association, Melissa is expected to cause significant and widespread damage on the island nation.

Many in the GTA, which has roughly 250,000 people of Jamaican descent, have come together to support those with relatives in Jamaica and are already planning fundraisers to help them in the disaster’s aftermath.

Melissa moves towards eastern Cuba

In a post shared on social media, the U.S. National Hurricane Center said conditions are expected to deteriorate rapidly over the next several hours, as Hurricane Melissa moves toward eastern Cuba.

New danger for hurricane-hit Jamaica: wandering crocodiles

Jamaican health authorities on Tuesday urged residents across the island to be vigilant for crocodiles displaced by Hurricane Melissa.

“Rising water levels in rivers, gullies, and swamps could cause crocodiles to move into residential areas,” posted the South East Regional Health Authority (SERHA) in a public service announcement on social media.