As Hurricane Melissa prepares to make landfall in Jamaica within hours, forecasters have announced it is now stronger than Hurricane Katrina. Katrina, a powerful Category 3 hurricane, made landfall in August 2005,

Hurricane Melissa intensified to Category 5 strength Monday as it neared Jamaica with up to 30 inches (76 centimetres) of rain and a life-threatening storm surge.

While there were early reports of widespread flooding and rivers spilling over, it will many more days to fully assess what is expected to be catastrophic damage — particularly in parishes closest to ...