Hurricane Melissa strengthened Tuesday as it crawled toward Jamaica, where officials and residents braced for catastrophic winds, flash flooding and landslides from the Category 5 storm, one of the strongest Atlantic hurricanes in history.

The streets in the capital, Kingston, remained largely empty as Melissa approached with 185 mph (295 kph) winds.

The Jamaican government said it had done all it could to prepare as it warned of devastating damage from the strongest hurricane to hit the island since recordkeeping began 174 years ago.

“There is no infrastructure in the region that can withstand a Category 5,” Prime Minister Andrew Holness said. “The question now is the speed of recovery. That’s the challenge.”

The U.S. National Hurricane Center in Miami warned people in the storm's path as landfall neared Tuesday morning that this is the “last chance to protect your life.” The storm is expected slice diagonally across the island and hit Cuba shortly afterward.

Melissa is the fifth most intense Atlantic basin hurricane on record by pressure and the strongest to make landfall since Hurricane Dorian in 2019, according to hurricane specialist and storm surge expert Michael Lowry.

It is "a worst-case scenario unfolding for Jamaica,” he said.

Landslides, fallen trees and numerous power outages were reported ahead of the storm, with officials in Jamaica cautioning that the cleanup and damage assessment would be slow. The storm is expected to enter near St. Elizabeth parish in the south and exit around St. Ann parish in the north, forecasters said.

“Total structural failure is possible near the path of Melissa’s center,” the National Hurricane Center said.

AP Video shot by Matias Delacroix