‘Storm of the century’: record-breaking Hurricane Melissa hits Jamaica and heads for Cuba

Minister says parish of St Elizabeth is under water' and that families are trapped in their homes in the community of Black River in western Jamaica

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Hurricane Melissa is heading for Cuba after it made landfall as a category 5 storm in Jamaica, battering the country with ferocious winds, heavy flood waters and landslides as one of the strongest Atlantic hurricanes in history.

Cuba's president warned the country was in for a very difficult night" as the category 4 storm headed for the island's second-largest city, Santiago de Cuba.