Jamaica has declared a curfew and troops and police are patrolling the streets in response to Hurricane Dean.
The storm has already killed five people on its path through the Caribbean.
The Government has opened shelters and residents of low-lying areas have been encouraged to evacuate.
The US National Hurricane Centre said the Category 4 storm could yet strengthen into a rare and potentially catastrophic Category 5 as it heads toward Mexico's Yucatan Peninsula on Monday.
Jamaican police and soldiers patrolled the capital Kingston to prevent looting and the government declared a 48-hour curfew in industrial areas and bussed people to evacuation centers.
Mudslides were reported north of Kingston in the communities of Maryland and Dallas.
Some residents of one low-lying seaport town close to Kingston refused to flee.
Hurricane warnings were also in effect for the Cayman Islands and parts of Haiti and a tropical storm warning was issued for parts of Cuba and the Dominican Republic.
The Dept of Foreign Affairs is closely monitoring the situation in relation to Hurricane Dean.
A consular official from our Embassy in Mexico is travelling to Cancun in order to provide on the ground consular assistance if necessary and the Irish Embassy in Ottawa is in close contact with the Irish community and local authorities in Jamaica.
