Hurricane Ivan slams into Jamaica

Large trees and poles crashed down in Kingston, some hitting houses. Ravines running through the city quickly overflowed and flooded streets.

Large waves pounded the coast around St. Thomas in the southeast of the island and a storm surge tore away at least two houses, the Caribbean Disaster Emergency Response Agency said. Elsewhere, the surge washed away roads.

"It's extremely windy. The whole island is without electricity," said Joseph Robinson, 45, from the British Caribbean territory of Turks and Caicos, as he took shelter in the lobby of a Kingston hotel. "It's going beyond manageable."

Ivan, which has already killed 27 people as it rampaged across the Caribbean, strengthened when it reached Jamaica with winds of 155 mph, just short of qualifying as a rare, top-level Category 5 hurricane for the second time since it formed.