Hurricane Melissa is hours away from its expected landfall in Jamaica late Tuesday morning or early Tuesday afternoon, but the storm has already been deadly.

The hurricane is set to hit Jamaica as a catastrophic Category 5 storm, the strongest to lash the island since recordkeeping began 174 years ago, according to the Associated Press.

According to FOX Weather, the Category 5 hurricane’s destructive , 175-mph winds may be too strong for buildings to handle, and officials are warning that those winds could lead to "total structural failure" near the path of Hurricane Melissa’s core.

National Hurricane Center officials issued a serious warning to residents of Jamaica in its latest forecast discussion stating, "Failure to act may result in serious injury or loss of life."

The hurrica

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