Roughly 1,000 military personnel and families have been flown to Pensacola ahead of the Category 4 storm that has killed at least seven people in Jamaica.

Celebrity Beyond’s Oct. 26 itinerary will visit the Western Caribbean rather than the Eastern Caribbean, according to the cruise line’s parent company, Royal Caribbean Group. The ship will visit Costa Maya in Mexico, Belize and Roatan, Honduras.

Rainfall. Melissa is expected to bring an additional 4 to 8 inches across Jamaica, where storm total amounts will be between 12 to 24 inches. Isolated areas near 30 inches will be possible over mountainous terrain. Ongoing catastrophic flash flooding and numerous landslides will continue through Tuesday night.

With winds up to 175 mph, the Category 5 storm has grounded flights, rerouted cruises, and forced resort evacuations.

As Melissa hit Jamaica with a sustained speed of 185 mph near New Hope, landslides, uprooting of trees and several power outages were reported across the island.

"It is more than kind of distressing because you don't know when and you don't know how," said Ewan Simpson, who lives in Jamaica.

Hurricane Melissa is about to make landfall in Jamaica. Marlon Hill, Lead Relief Mobilizer for the south Florida organization Caribbean Strong, joins Chris Jansing to share more on how they are already preparing to send critical supplies to the country in the aftermath of the storm.

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.