It comes as Hurricane Melissa ramps up to a Category 5 tropical storm slated to crash into the southeastern shores of Jamaica, which is bracing for the potential largest storm to hit the island in recent history. Forecasters have warned that Jamaica will be slammed with catastrophic flooding, multiple landslides and heavy infrastructure damage.

A magnitude 5.4 earthquake off the coast of Alaska prompted a precautionary tsunami information alert for the Pacific Northwest before officials confirmed there was no threat to Washington state.

Hurricane Melissa made landfall along Jamaica's southwestern coast Tuesday as an extremely powerful Category 5 storm.

The prime minister ordered mandatory evacuations as officials braced for tens of thousands to be displaced. Three people were killed and 13 others injured during preparations for the storm, the health minister said.

Around 400 bags have been sent out to Jamaica to support children after the hurricane.

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

Fourteen people are dead and 124 missing after a “super typhoon” barrelling across Asia burst a mountain lake’s banks. Super Typhoon Ragasa had already killed three people in the Philippines before hitting Taiwan’s east, where more than 600mm of rain swamped waterways and engulfed Guangfu on Tuesday.