“Many of these communities will not survive this flooding,” local government minister, Desmond McKenzie, said at a press conference on Monday.

Hurricane Melissa strengthened into a Category 5 storm Monday as it drew closer to Jamaica, where forecasters said it would unleash catastrophic flooding, landslides and widespread damage.

A storm surge of up to 13 feet (4 meters) was expected along the coast in Kingston, which Porter said is home to critical infrastructure such as Jamaica’s main international airport and power plants....