Hurricane Sandy has swept across Jamaica after making landfall near the capital, Kingston.
Heavy rains and winds of 125km/h were reported by the National Hurricane Centre (NHC).
Schools and airports were closed, and a curfew has been imposed in major towns to keep people safe and deter looters, the BBC reported.
Forecasters warned the category one hurricane could strengthen further.
Tropical storm conditions were also expected to hit Haiti, Cuba and the Bahamas before reaching Florida’s east coast.
“These rains may produce life-threatening flash floods and mudslides, especially in areas of mountainous terrain,” the NHC said in a statement.
In some towns, crocodiles were caught in rushing floodwaters, which carried them out of mangrove thickets, the Associated Press reports.
One big croc was washed into a family’s front yard, according to the news agency.
