Roofs are flying as Super Hurricane Melissa unleashes its full fury on Jamaica. The Category 5 monster made landfall near New Hope, St Elizabeth, around midday Tuesday, bringing some of the most extreme winds the island has ever faced.

Videos circulating on social media show the St Elizabeth Technical High School (STETHS) among the many buildings sustaining serious roof damage as violent gusts rip through the parish. Flying zinc sheets, toppled trees, and collapsing structures have turned parts of the area into a scene of chaos.

According to the U.S. National Hurricane Center, Melissa struck Jamaica with maximum sustained winds of 185 mph (295 km/h) and a central pressure of 892 millibars — tying Hurricane Dorian (2019) and the 1935 Labor Day Hurricane as the strongest landfalls ever recorded in the Atlantic.

The storm’s eyewall is now pounding western Jamaica, particularly St Elizabeth, Westmoreland, Hanover, and St James, where residents have been warned to remain in shelter and not go outside, even during the temporary calm of the eye.

The Office of Disaster Preparedness and Emergency Management (ODPEM) says initial reports point to widespread structural damage, fallen power lines, and blocked roads across several parishes. Emergency response teams are standing by to begin rescue and recovery efforts once conditions improve.

Melissa is expected to move off Jamaica’s north coast later today, heading toward the Cayman Islands and southern Bahamas while remaining an extremely dangerous hurricane.