Photo credit: Jamaica gleaner
Hurricane Melissa strengthened into a Category 4 storm as it churned northwest through the Caribbean Sea on Sunday.
It is taking a direct aim at Jamaica, according to the latest advisory from the National Hurricane Centre (NHC).
Meanwhile, the International Organization for Migration (IOM) is sending a shipment of relief items from its Caribbean Logistics Hub in Barbados to Jamaica. It said the items are to support vulnerable communities at risk of flooding, landside, and hurricane-force winds.
The shipment is expected to arrive on Thursday. It includes solar lamps, hygiene kits, ropes, tarpaulins, and generators.
Meanwhile, the authorities in the country have urged residents to evacuate to one of 900 shelters set across the island.
On Sunday, Prime Minister Andrew Holness issued mandatory evacuation orders for Port Royal in the capital and six other areas.
Storm Melissa currently has minimum sustained winds of up to 140mph (220kph) and is expected to strengthen as it heads towards Jamaica.
The slow-moving storm has already killed at least three people in Haiti and a fourth person in the Dominican Republic, where another person remains missing.
