Hurricane Melissa made landfall in Jamaica around noon Tuesday with sustained wind speeds of 185 mph, the strongest storm to reach the island's shores in recorded history.

Forecasters warned in dire terms that the hurricane would bring catastrophic damage to Jamaica. Just before the storm made landfall, Melissa was tied for the third strongest hurricane ever recorded in the Atlantic Basin.

Officials in Jamaica had just begun to assess the impact Wednesday morning. There were reports of parts of Clarendon in southern Jamaica being severely damaged as well as the parish of St. Elizabeth, which officials said was "underwater."

Roofs had flown off buildings, boulders tumbled through roads and some families were reportedly trapped in their homes by floodwaters Tuesday. Four hospitals were

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