Oct 30 \u2013 Hurricane Melissa has continued its devastating sweep across the Caribbean, decimating homes and infrastructure, flooding neighbourhoods and leaving dozens dead.<\/p>\n
The impact in Jamaica was clearer on Wednesday, after the island nation was targeted squarely by the category five monster \u2013 one of the most powerful hurricanes ever measured in the region. At least five people have been confirmed dead there.<\/p>\n
At least another 20 died during flooding in Haiti as Melissa, now a category two storm, tears through the region.<\/p>\n
In Jamaica, people remain stranded on roofs and without power. Prime Minister Andrew Holness noted the \u201ctotal devastation\u201d across the island-nation.<\/p>\n
He added that \u201c80-90% of roofs were destroyed\u201d, along with hospitals, libraries, police stations, port houses and other urban infrastructure.<\/p>\n
King Charles, who is the head of state in Jamaica, said in a statement that he is \u201cdeeply concerned\u201d and \u201cprofoundly saddened\u201d at the damage caused by Melissa in Jamaica and across the Caribbean.<\/p>\n
\u201cThis most dreadful of record-breaking storms reminds us of the increasingly urgent need to restore the balance and harmony of Nature for the sake of all those whose lives and livelihoods may have been shattered by this heartbreaking disaster,\u201d he said.<\/p>\n
From Jamaica, where the storm also\u00a0caused mudslides, and palm trees to be tossed like toothpicks<\/a>, Melissa moved north to Cuba as a category three storm, bringing 115 mph winds and heavy rain, and battering the south east of the island.<\/p>\n What makes Melissa such a dangerous storm?<\/a><\/p>\n \u2018We are all terrified\u2019, say locals in path of Hurricane Melissa<\/a><\/p>\n Rovier Mesa Rodr\u00edguez, a video maker who lives in Santiago de Cuba, called the storm \u201cterrifying\u201d and described it sounding \u201clike a tornado\u201d.<\/p>\n Cuba President Miguel D\u00edaz-Canel asked residents to \u201cnot let their guard down\u201d and said that the country prepared for a worst-case scenario, which helped its response.<\/p>\n On Wednesday night, the storm was 105 miles (170km) from the central Bahamas and expected to reach the Bahamas region overnight. Hurricane Melissa was moving north east with wind at 100 mph (155 km\/h). A dangerous storm surge is expected there before it moves further north toward Bermuda.<\/p>\n A tropical storm warning is in place for the Turks and Caicos Islands and the speed of the slow-moving hurricane is expected to increase in the coming days<\/p>\n In Jamaica, three men and a woman were confirmed dead. They were discovered after being washed up by the flood waters in the storm, said Desmond McKenzie, Jamaica\u2019s minister of Local Government and Community Development.<\/p>\n About three-quarters of the country lost electricity overnight.<\/p>\n Richard Vernon, mayor of Montego Bay, told the BBC that half of the city had been cut off from the other by floods. He said the priority is to \u201ccheck if everybody is alive\u201d.<\/p>\n A resident in St Elizabeth sheltering in her four-bedroom home described the moment her roof blew off.<\/p>\n Gordon Swaby, a businessman in Kingston, told the BBC that his first cousin\u2019s house was completely destroyed. His cousin \u2013 who he declined to name \u2013 recently moved from the United States to her \u201cdream\u201d house by the sea in the upscale Crane Road area. She lost the entire concrete structure and everything in it.<\/p>\n \u201cShe wanted a different kind of life,\u201d Gordon said. \u201cShe chose the area because she loves the sea, so this is really devastating.\u201d<\/p>\n Devastation was evident on Wednesday across central Jamaica. The city of Mandeville was flattened and the main road through town was littered with debris.<\/p>\n Foliage was stuck to everything, and bits of building material were scattered along the road. Clean-up is expected to take months.<\/p>\n Pia Chevallier, who is on holiday in Jamaica, said she felt \u201csick with worry\u201d during the storm overnight. \u201cThe windows didn\u2019t stop vibrating.<\/p>\n