Storm heads to Jamaica

KINGSTON, Jamaica – Jamaicans stocked up on supplies and reinforced roofs on Tuesday ahead of the arrival of Tropical Storm Sandy, which is expected to hit the Caribbean island as a hurricane with lashing rain and wind.

The U.S. National Hurricane Center in Miami said the storm was churning over warm Caribbean waters and should reach Jamaica today, most likely as a Category 1 hurricane. The late-season storm is expected to travel from south to north over the island, which local meteorologists say hasn’t sustained a direct hit from a hurricane’s eye since powerful Hurricane Gilbert in 1988.