Many Jamaican communities "will not survive this flooding," said Desmond Mackenzie, Jamaica’s minister of local government and community development.

Hurricane Melissa has developed into a Category 4 hurricane, the U.S. National Hurricane Center (NHC) said on Sunday, adding that the maximum sustained winds have increased to 140 mph (220 km/h).

This slow movement is going to be one of the most problematic parts of Melissa as it brings days of torrential rain, flash flooding, storm surge and likely landslides due to the mountainous terrain.