Jamaica is expected to be in the storm's eyewall, which refers to the band of dense clouds surrounding the eye of the hurricane. The eyewall generally produces the fiercest winds and heaviest rainfall, according to Deanna Hence, a professor of climate, meteorology and atmospheric sciences at the University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign.

The news “underscores the profound ecological toll that Hurricane Melissa will have on Jamaica’s biodiversity,” said one expert on the island.

The cities of Miramar, Lauderhill and Homestead established drop-off locations to accept donations. Global Empowerment Mission (GEM), a Miami-based nonprofit, is also accepting donations and asking volunteers to pack boxes of supplies at its Doral location.