Prime Minister Andrew Holness declared the country a disaster area Tuesday.

• Already deadly: Melissa is responsible for seven deaths — three in Jamaica during storm preparations, three in Haiti and one in the Dominican Republic.

Melissa is approaching landfall in eastern Cuba. Here’s what we know
From CNN Staff
Hurricane Melissa briefly restrengthened into a Category 4 storm with 130 mph winds, courtesy of warm Caribbean waters, as it departed Jamaica and began to barrel toward Cuba.

As of 2 a.m. ET, Melissa was back to a Category 3 hurricane with 125 mph winds, still an “extremely dangerous” storm, according to the National Hurricane Center. The core is expected to make landfall in southeastern Cuba early Wednesday morning, then move across the central or southeastern Bahamas on Wednesday.

The hurricane is so far responsible for at least seven deaths — three in Jamaica during storm preparations, three in Haiti