Cuba prepared for the arrival of Category 5 Hurricane Melissa on Monday as the extremely dangerous storm threatens the island’s eastern region with catastrophic winds. Melissa is expected to make landfall in Cuba on Tuesday night.

Cuban President Miguel Diaz-Canel convened the National Defense Council on Sunday and emphasized the need for timely evacuations from flood zones and areas below dams to protect both the population and their property.

Workers at the Providencia solar park in Holguin province secured solar panels with ropes as the facility was designed to withstand winds of up to 200 kilometers per hour, according to Cesar Sarmiento, representative of the Holguin Electric Company.

Cuban meteorologist Ariel Maturel warned that while Melissa may weaken slightly over Jamaica’s mountains, the hurricane could regain strength over warm waters before striking Cuba’s eastern region.

According to the US National Hurricane Center, Hurricane Melissa was located about 530 kilometers (330 miles) southwest of Guantanamo, Cuba, with maximum sustained winds of 65 kilometers per hour (165 miles per hour), with hurricane warnings in effect for the Cuban provinces of Granma, Santiago de Cuba, Guantanamo, and Holguin.