Jamaica battered by Hurricane Melissa after storm brings widespread floods and 500,000 without power

The parish of St Elizabeth on the southwestern coast is now under water, a local government minister has said after infrastructure was "severely compromised".

The entire nation has been declared a disaster area because of the storm which made landfall at 2pm local time as a Category 5 Hurricane.

Images coming out of Jamaica show waist-deep flood waters coarsing through streets - and homes with their roofs blow off by the strong winds.

More than 500,000 Jamaicans are without power with nearly 15,000 sheltering across the country.

Heavy rainfall is expected to continue in some parts of the island - and almost every parish has reported blocked roads, fallen trees and flooding.

There have been no official reports of deaths - but the government has stressed that conditions make any survey of casualties or damage difficult.

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Desmond McKenzie said the Black River Hospital in St Elizabeth Parish is without power and 75 patients are being relocated.

The region of Clarendon has suffered extensive damage, he added.

Mr McKenzie warned that despite the worst of the storm passing, Jamaica is "still not out of the woods".

"We are on standby. Everything is ready, we are just waiting for the system to pass and for some level of calm to come back to the system," McKenzie said.

The island nation's prime minister, Andrew Holness, formally declared Jamaica a disaster area earlier on Tuesday local time.

The measure unlocks new powers for the government to protect citizens - and the nation is using the designation to prevent price-gouging of essentials.

The Category 5 hurricane made landfall in Jamaica at 2pm local time (7pm GMT) before moving towards the east coast of Cuba and being downgraded to Category 4 then to Category 3.

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"The Government's first priority is always the safety and well-being of every Jamaican," Holness wrote in a post, published on social media.

Previously, as the storm was approaching, the government had "acted pre-emptively" by declaring Jamaica a threatened area, he said.

"Hurricane Melissa... is now here, making its way across the island. This warrants a new legislative provision. Similarly, we must also continue to proactively maintain stability, protect consumers, and prevent any exploitation at a time when citizens are securing food, water, and supplies."

Before reaching Jamaica, the US National Hurricane Centre warned that Melissa would cause a "life-threatening storm surge" and devastating flash flooding.

Jamaican officials have warned that the storm may even displace crocodiles and have warned locals in Kingston, St Andrew, St Thomas, and St Catherine to beware any erstwhile beasts.

1.5 million people are expected to be directly affected by the hurricane, the Red Cross warned.

8,000 British citizens are believed to be in the Caribbean country, with people ordered to stay inside to avoid the world’s strongest storm of the year so far.

Seven people have already reportedly lost their lives across the Caribbean region.

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The Jamaican government ordered evacuations from high risk areas on Monday, and all of the country's airports are shut.

A Briton on holiday said he had been ordered to stay in his hotel bathroom until the storm passes.

Andrew Tracey had been due to fly home on Monday before his flight was cancelled.

He told Sky News food packages were being delivered to guests, with deck chairs removed from the beach and swimming pools drained at his Negril hotel.

"The balcony and walls do feel as though they are vibrating just due to the strength of the wind," he told the broadcaster.

"I'm very nervous, it's hard to comprehend what we are likely to expect," he added.

Rebecca Chapman, who is in Jamaica for her 25th wedding anniversary, said she and her family's hotel room is about 10 metres from the sea.

The hotel is moving them to a different room that is more sheltered.

"There's this weird roar that sounds like it's coming from the sea. It's really odd, like something's coming," she said.

"The birds have all gone so it's all gone really quiet. It's like a ghost town."

Foreign Secretary Yvette Cooper said a crisis centre had been set up to help Britons on the Caribbean island.

Speaking in the Commons, she said: "Hurricane Melissa is expected to make landfall in Jamaica shortly, potentially the most severe storm ever to hit the country.

"Many people will be thinking of family and friends in Jamaica and in the region.

"The FCDO stands ready to help British nationals 24/7.