Jamaican residents and tourists trapped on the island are bracing for what will be the strongest storm to make landfall in the island nation’s 63-year history.

Stranded vacationers on the island, which depends on tourism, used their beds to block their windows in case the powerful storm shattered the glass.

Hurricane Melissa made landfall in Jamaica as a powerful Category 5 hurricane on Tuesday, prompting many tourists on the island to shelter in<a class="excerpt-read-more" href=" More

Leilani Perez, of Hyde Park, is stuck on vacation in Jamaica as Hurricane Melissa pummels the country. "I'm definitely not prepared for it. So it's really just been an emotional rollercoaster. Thankfully, I'm with my mom," she said. She, her aunt, and her mother are celebrating her mother's birthday with a vacation in Ocean Coral Spring.

Keira Witcomb is among millions of locals and tourists awaiting the arrival of Hurricane Melissa, which is expected to hit Jamaica in the coming hours. "We're absolutely terrified," Ms Witcomb, who travelled to the Caribbean island from the UK for her mother's wedding, told the BBC.