Tourists scramble to leave Jamaica ahead of powerful hurricanebr br Travelers were seen at an airport in Jamaica on Saturday (October 25) ahead of the arrival of Hurricane Melissa, with some saying they were cutting short their holidays and leaving early.br br "We're on vacation. It was supposed to be for eight days. We made it seven days because of the hurricane. So we're leaving a day early," said Rich Heaning, a 77-year-old traveler from New York.br br The rapidly intensifying storm is expected to wreak havoc across the Caribbean with catastrophic floods, landslides and storm surges expected in Jamaica and southern Hispaniola into early next week, forcing authorities and residents to batten down.br br Evan Thompson, Jamaica's principal director at the Meteorological Service, said Melissa is expected to make landfall in Jamaica as a Category 4 storm on Tuesday (October 28), and remain for five days. Category 4 hurricanes have sustained winds of 130 to 156 mph.