Hurricane Melissa threatens to cause catastrophic flooding and landslides in Jamaica, Haiti and Cuba.

Kingston, Jamaica — Hurricane Melissa The disaster intensified to Category 5 early Monday as it approached Jamaica, threatening catastrophic flooding, landslides and widespread damage to homes and infrastructure. The storm is expected to dump up to 30 inches of rain on Jamaica, as well as potentially life-threatening storm surge along its southern coast.

Melissa is expected to make landfall on the island Monday evening and Tuesday and pass through southeastern Cuba and the Bahamas through Wednesday.

As of Monday morning, the hurricane had maximum sustained winds of 160 mph and was moving westward at a slow pace, at just 2 mph, the center said.

Category 5 is the highest on the Saffir-Simpson scale, for storms with sustained winds of at least 157 mph — a catastrophic force capable of destroying many homes in its path. Melissa will be the most powerful hurricane in recent history to directly hit Jamaica.

“Damaging winds, storm surges and catastrophic flooding will worsen in Jamaica throughout the day and into tonight,” said CBS News meteorologist Nikki Nolan.

In addition to the impact on Jamaica, western Haiti could receive 16 inches of rain, again bringing the threat of catastrophic flash flooding and landslides, the hurricane center warned.

The slow-moving storm has already killed at least three people in Haiti and a fourth in the Dominican Republic, where another person remains missing, according to authorities.

“I want to urge Jamaicans to take this seriously,” said Desmond McKenzie, vice-president of the Jamaica Disaster Risk Management Council. “Don’t play with Melissa. She’s not a safe bet.”

In addition to rainfall, Melissa is likely to bring a life-threatening storm surge to Jamaica’s south coast, peaking up to 13 feet above ground level, near and east of where Melissa’s center makes landfall, forecasters said.

The hurricane is expected to make landfall again later Tuesday in eastern Cuba. A hurricane warning was in effect for the provinces of Granma, Santiago de Cuba, Guantánamo and Holguin, while a tropical storm warning was in effect for Las Tunas. Up to 20 inches of rain was forecast for parts of Cuba, along with significant storm surge along the coast.

About 1,000 U.S. military personnel were evacuated from Guantanamo Bay, Cuba, on Monday morning in anticipation of Melissa’s later arrival, a U.S. defense official told CBS News. Meanwhile, some U.S. Navy ships in the region were repositioned out of the direct path of the hurricane but remained actively deployed, the official said.

Melissa could be the strongest hurricane Jamaica has seen in decades, said Evan Thompson, senior director of the Jamaica Weather Service. He warned that cleanup and damage assessment would be significantly delayed due to landslides, flooding and blocked roads.

“Don’t make stupid decisions,” warned Daryl Vaz, Jamaica’s Minister of Transport. “We are going through a very, very serious period in the coming days.”

The storm has already brought heavy rain to the Dominican Republic, where schools and government offices were ordered to remain closed Monday in four of the nine provinces still under red alert. The Dominican Republic shares the island of Hispaniola with Haiti.

Melissa damaged more than 750 homes across the Dominican Republic, displacing more than 3,760 people. Floodwaters also cut off access to at least 48 communities, officials said.

In Haiti, the storm destroyed crops in three areas, including 37 acres of corn, at a time when at least 5.7 million people, more than half the country’s population, are experiencing critical-level famine, with 1.9 million facing emergency-level hunger.

“Floods are blocking access to agricultural land and markets, compromising harvests and the winter agricultural season,” the Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations said.

Melissa was expected to continue dumping torrential rains on southern Haiti and the southern Dominican Republic in the coming days.