As powerful Hurricane Melissa creeps toward Jamaica on Tuesday morning, here's how you can help those impacted by the catastrophic storm

Hurricane Melissa has made landfall on Jamaica as the strongest storm to hit the Caribbean island in the 174 years since records began

Melissa’s 185 mph winds rival the most intense Atlantic storms on record. The Category 5 hurricane is threatening Jamaica with a storm surge of up to 13 feet.

Hurricane Melissa roared ashore on Tuesday as one of the most powerful landfalls in Atlantic Basin recorded history.

The two categories combined make up about 17 percent of all hurricanes in recorded history. Those reaching Category 5 — like Melissa — historically make up more like 4 percent of hurricanes. And fewer than half of the strongest two categories of hurricanes go on to hit land at such intensity.

Hurricane Melissa made landfall on the Caribbean island of Jamaica on Tuesday, Oct. 28, as a Category 5 storm with sustained winds over 180 mph. It brought threats of more than two feet of rain and a life-threatening storm surge.

Hurricane Melissa has made landfall in Jamaica as a Category 5 storm, tying for the strongest landfalling Atlantic hurricane in history

Hurricane Melissa is close to making landfall on Jamaica as the strongest storm to hit the island in the 174 years since records began