Hurricane Sandy (AP image)

KINGSTON, Jamaica (AP) – Jamaica is being pounded with heavy rain from Hurricane Sandy. It’s bringing a powerful storm surge as it heads for landfall near the country’s most populous city.

The hurricane is on a path that would carry it across the island and then on to Cuba. And after that, it could pose a threat to Florida. One death from the storm is reported in Haiti — a woman who was swept away by a rushing river.

Jamaica’s international airports are closed, and cruise ships have canceled port stops. Police have ordered 48-hour curfews in major towns to keep people off the streets and discourage looting.

Sandy is the 18th named storm of the Atlantic hurricane season. It’s expected to pass west of the U.S. naval base at Guantanamo Bay in Cuba.

Stranded business travelers and some locals have been riding out the storm in hotels along a strip in Kingston’s financial district. A Toronto woman on a business trip says she’s hoping to catch a flight off the island Friday when the stormy weather clears.