Hurricane Melissa is grinding across eastern Cuba as a Category 3 storm after pummeling Jamaica as one of the strongest Atlantic hurricanes on record.

Authorities in Cuba have evacuated more than 700,000 people to shelters.

Forecasters say the Category 3 storm could unleash catastrophic damage in Santiago de Cuba and nearby areas on Wednesday.

The storm is expected to generate a storm surge of up to 12 feet and drop up to 20 inches of rain in some places. The U.S. National Hurricane Center says Melissa is forecast to move into the Bahamas later Wednesday.

Jamaica is busy assessing the damage there.

The center of Hurricane Melissa moved over the province of Santiago de Cuba in the last few hours.

The hurricane winds that hit Jamaica at 185 mph has slowed down as it entered Cuba. However, it remains a hurricane of great intensity, category three on the Saffir-Simpson scale.

Melissa continues to move northeast at a speed of 19 kilometers per hour Over the next 12 to 24 hours, Hurricane Melissa is expected to continue weakening slightly as it interacts with land, while continuing to move on a course close to northeast, according to the Cuban Weather Center.

In Santiago de Cuba, Cuba’s second-largest city, strong winds and rain swept through the streets since before sunrise, while people hunkered down inside their homes or in shelters.

Authorities warn that residents must stay in “a safe shelter” even if they feel calm after Melissa passed through eastern Cuba, as there will be “storm surges, flash floods, and landslides,” according to the US National Hurricane Center (NHC).

AP video by Ariel Fernández