Communities across the Caribbean are reeling in the wake of Hurricane Melissa, which ripped through Jamaica, Cuba and Hispaniola, the island comprising Haiti and the Dominican Republic, this week. While officials said that damage assessments remained underway to determine the full scope of the destruction,

The National Hurricane Center's 11 p.m. Thursday update reported that Category 2 Hurricane Melissa is in the Atlantic Ocean, 160 miles west-northwest of Bermuda. The hurricane is moving northeast at 38 mph, with maximum sustained winds of 100 mph.

The storm was making its way to the Bahamas and Bermuda on Thursday morning as Jamaica confronted the devastation from one of the most potent storms ever recorded anywhere.

Hurricane Melissa made landfall in Cuba overnight after battering Jamaica as one of the most powerful landfalling storms in Atlantic basin history.

The prime minister ordered mandatory evacuations as officials braced for tens of thousands to be displaced. Three people were killed and 13 others injured during preparations for the storm, the health minister said.

The National Hurricane Center's 1 a.m. Friday update reported that Category 2 Hurricane Melissa is in the Atlantic Ocean, 260 miles west-southwest of Bermuda. The hurricane is moving northeast at 32 mph, with maximum sustained winds of 105 mph.

Parts of the Caribbean began surveying the damage caused by the deadly Hurricane Melissa, which made landfall in Jamaica as a powerful Category 5.

Follow live updates on Hurricane Melissa as the death toll reaches 38 people. Recovery efforts are underway in Jamaica, Haiti, Cuba and the Dominican Republic.

A Jamaican woman living in the UK said "there's lots to give thanks for" after an anxious wait to hear from family in the aftermath of Hurricane Melissa. At least five people have been confirmed dead on the island following the category five storm this week. At least another 20 died during flooding in Haiti.

South Florida was spared a direct blow from Hurricane Melissa, but the massive storm still hit home for the millions of residents there who have deep roots in the Caribbean. Now, the Caribbean diaspora from Miami to New York City is turning its heartbreak into action: filling warehouses with emergency supplies to send to