The people of Jamaica are making emergency preparations on Monday as Hurricane Melissa intensified overnight, with meteorologists in awe of the scale and shape of the “ monster ” storm now bearing down on the island nation, already saturated from previous rains and bracing for what could be a major climate-related catastrophe.

In a 5:00 am EDT advisory on Monday, the U.S. National Hurricane Center said Melissa is “now a Category 5 Hurricane” and warned of “destructive winds and storm surge and catastrophic flooding” that would worsen across Jamaica throughout the day and into the night. Landfall is expected Tuesday morning, with devastating consequences across the island nation.

The storm, reports the Weather Channel , “will be one of the most intense, devastating hurricanes on r

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