Image source, Reuters

With rain slowly clearing, we're getting a clearer sense of the damage Hurricane Melissa has inflicted on towns as it barrelled across Jamaica.

In the above drone photo, from Alligator Pond, on Jamaica's southern coast, we can see debris littered across the beach and trees uprooted.

Elsewhere, drone footage from St Elizabeth, in southwestern Jamaica, shows a building with a ripped-out roof.

Image source, Reuters

Brandon Drenon
Reporting Miami, Florida

Image source, Schmoi Mclean

When Alexander Medley first heard about Hurricane Melissa's pending arrival, it was on the radio inside his mum’s car on his way home from school.

“I wasn’t really thinking it was going to hit Jamaica, because there’s always lots of systems in the Caribbean during hurricane season,” the 14-year-old says. “Barely any of them, from my experience, actually hit us.”

But as the days drew closer, the situation became clear: “It started heading straight for us," he says.

“I remember I was in my bed and just wind, crazy amounts of wind, high speed, just crashing against my window,” Medley says. “You could hear huge branches falling into the backyard and onto the roof."

Then, the flood waters began to rise. “It was going to come in through underneath the door and through the window,” he says.

Medley quickly began packing old clothes around windowsills and beneath doors to try to stop the water. But some came through, leaving large water-filled bubbles under the paint.

Compared to what he has heard of others on the island, he reckons that it could have been worse.

"It’s a learning experience,” Medley says. “If this is going to be an every year thing then it’s just something we’ll have to get used to."

Image source, PA Media

King Charles has issued a statement in the last few moments saying he is "deeply concerned" and "profoundly saddened" at the damage caused by Hurricane Melissa in Jamaica and across the Caribbean.

"As we continue to follow the situation closely, our anxious thoughts are with all those who have been so cruelly affected by this awful storm."

He also refers to his admiration for those who have responded "courageously", including the emergency services, frontline workers and volunteers.

"This 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."

• King Charles is the head of state for Jamaica

Nick Davis
Reporting from Jamaica

We’ve spent the day on the road. When we were leaving Kingston, we saw minimal damage, some structures torn down, trees strewn across roads and gardens.

However, it wasn’t until we went into central Jamaica that we started to see how severely the island was hit.

By the time we got to Mandeville we could see the place was, for want of a better word, flattened.

There was what I assume was a petrol station, but when we saw it, the roof was gone and so were most of the pumps.

The main road that runs through the town is littered in debris, foliage is stuck to everything and bits of building material were scattered along the road.

Right now is the rapid assessment phase - the government will be wanting to get critical infrastructure back up.

Communications are improving here, but in the far west, where the storm left a wake of devastation, the clean up will take weeks if not months.

Image source, Reuters

"It's going to be a long road back," Andrew Houston Moncure a resident on the southwest coast of Jamaica tells the AFP news agency.

Andrew Houston Moncure sheltered with his wife and young son in a luxury hotel he owns in Bluefields when Hurricane Melissa made landfall on Tuesday.

"It was the most terrifying experience, especially with my son. The pressure is so low you struggle to breathe, and it just sounds like a freight train going over you," he tells AFP.

The roof blew off the hotel, but Moncure says "we are the lucky ones" - referencing houses that have collapsed not far away from where he was sheltering.

Separately, Christopher Hacker who owns a restaurant in the hills of western Jamaica tells the agency today "everything is gone".

"It will take a lot to recover from this," he says.

Image source, Reuters

A new update from the US National Hurricane Center spells out that "damaging winds, flooding rains and a dangerous storm surge" are anticipated in The Bahamas tonight and in Cuba this afternoon.

A hurricane warning remains in place for areas including Bermuda, while a tropical storm warning is in place for the Turks and Caicos Islands among others.

Melissa is currently travelling at a speed of 15mph (24km/h) - an increase on earlier. It is still expected to accelerate in the coming days.

Darren Bett
BBC weather presenter

Hurricane Melissa is now offshore of east Cuba. With sustained winds of 100mph (160km/h), it means Melissa is a category two hurricane.

The storm is now moving at about 15mph (24km/h) and may continue to accelerate.

After leaving The Bahamas on Wednesday night, Melissa will then head towards Bermuda. Hurricane strength winds and heavy rain will begin in Bermuda late on Thursday and continue overnight.

After that, Melissa is not expected to make landfall in North America, but will still be a formidable extratropical cyclone when it nears St Johns, Newfoundland, on Friday night.

Image source, National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration

Jamaica's prime minister has just given an update on X, external and says there are no confirmed reports of deaths on the island so far.

Andrew Holness also says the government will support the affected communities.

"We know many of you are hurting, uncertain, and anxious after Hurricane Melissa, but please know that you are not alone."

He goes on to say that "recovery will take time, but the Government is fully mobilized."

"Relief supplies are being prepared, and we are doing everything possible to restore normalcy quickly."

The hurricane has now passed Cuba after landing in the east this morning.

Details are still emerging about the extent of the damage there but we are starting to get photos from Santiago de Cuba which show flood water filling the streets.

Image source, Reuters

Image source, Reuters

Image source, Reuters

Gabriela Pomeroy
Live reporter

Image source, Reuters

Cuban journalist Luis de Jesus has been on the ground in Santiago de Cuba where the hurricane made landfall overnight.

"Being in the middle of a hurricane is powerful and you hear all sorts of sounds," he tells me from eastern Cuba. "I tried to sleep but it was hard."

The force of the winds broke the windows in his hotel and some of the doors.

"I went out this morning to assess the damage," he says, "and found trees have fallen down, electricity cables are down, and some damaged buildings."

But people are relieved that no deaths have been reported and now the focus is on cleaning up the debris in the town.

Image source, Luis de Jesus

As the relief effort continues, US Secretary of State Marco Rubio says the White House is in close contact with the governments of Jamaica, Haiti, Dominican Republic and the Bahamas as they assess the damage and impacts of Hurricane Melissa.

"We have rescue and response teams heading to affected areas along with critical lifesaving supplies," Rubio says on social media.

"Our prayers are with the people of the Caribbean."

Brandon Drenon
Reporting from Miami, Florida

Andre Palmer has been sheltering in place at his home in south-eastern Kingston since Saturday, prepared for the worst.

Although the brunt of the damage from the storm has missed him, he still considers it “the most intense hurricane I’ve ever experienced”.

“For about 16 hours, there was just this intense wind and lots of rain that just kept beating on the house and windows and doors. Debris was flying in the wind. It was actually quite intense,” he says.

Palmer says he’s been without electricity and running water since Tuesday morning, and was only able to speak to me because he charged his phone in his car earlier.

He’s unsure of when internet, electricity and water will be restored. “Right now, it’s really a wait and see game,” he says.

He’s also waiting to find out the condition of his family in west Jamaica, in an area officials have described as “devastated”.

“I haven’t heard from them this since around (17:00 EST) yesterday”, Palmer says, adding that, when trying to reach them on Wednesday, “calls are going directly to voicemail”.

Image source, Reuters

Storm movement

• Hurricane Melissa made landfall in Jamaica at around 17:00 GMT on Tuesday. It then progressed towards Cuba - hitting the country with windspeeds of 115mph earlier today as a category three hurricane
• According to the latest advisory, it is now passing Cuba and moving north-east at a speed of almost 14 mph (22km/h)

Impact

• No deaths have been confirmed in Jamaica so far but 20 people, including 10 children, are reported to have died in flooding in Haiti
• Western Jamaica has experienced "significant" infrastructure damage, though in other areas it is "minimal"
• More than three quarters of the country remains without power while airports are currently not operating
• Images of fallen trees, flooded roads and damaged buildings are beginning to emerge

What next?

• Melissa is still expected to be a "dangerous storm" when it reaches the Bahamas later today
• Further north, Bermuda's meteorological service has issued a hurricane warning
• A tropic storm warning is in place for the Turks and Caicos Islands too
• The speed the hurricane is travelling at is expected to increase in the coming days

More images are emerging of the damage wrought by Hurricane Melissa on Jamaica. This drone shot of Alligator Pond on the south west of the island shows the structural impact of the category five storm.

Fishing is a crucial part of the Jamaican economy but it has been severely hit by the extreme conditions.

Image source, Reuters

As we've been reporting, Hurricane Melissa hit Cuba with wind speeds of 115mph (185km/h) and heavy rain that also brought "life-threatening" storm surges.

Santiago de Cuba, in the south east of the island, is among the worst hit areas - as you can see from the pictures below.

Image source, AFP

Image source, AFP

Image source, AFP

Image source, AFP via Getty Images

It's too early to know the full impact of Hurricane Melissa, but initial details of the damage - as we heard in a briefing a short while ago - are beginning to come to light, particularly through the help of voices on the ground.

• The mayor of Montego Bay told the BBC one half of the city in north-west Jamaica had been cut off from the other by flood waters. He said the first priority now would be to "check if everybody is alive"
• One resident in St Elizabeth had been sheltering in her four bedroom home when the zinc roof was ripped off
• Our reporter on the island, Nick Davis, says about three-quarters of the country has been without electricity overnight while additional rainfall has started causing flooding and landslides
• "The windows didn't stop vibrating," said Pia Chevallier, who is currently on holiday in Jamaica. She said there is "devastation everywhere" and she felt "sick with worry" overnight

Our reporters and correspondents are continuing to reach out to people impacted by Hurricane Melissa, but if you would like to get in touch, and it is safe to do so, you can reach us here.

Gabriela Pomeroy
Live reporter

Image source, World Relief

As we've just mentioned, Haiti is expected to see "catastrophic" flash flooding and landslides in some parts today, which has forced several thousand people into shelters across the country.

"Many homes have been washed away on the coast," says Pascal Bimenyimana from the Christian NGO, World Relief, in Port au Prince.

"You can see many roofs have been taken off. People are clearing the debris with their bare hands."

Bimenyimana says 3,000 people are in shelters in the south of the country. A lot of the shelters are churches, which are supported by his teams in the field.

But much of the relief work is being supported by friends and neighbours, he says.

"Torrential winds, violent rain and flooding," have destroyed crops across the country's south, he adds.

At least 20 people - including 10 children - have died in river floods in Haiti, local authorities have told AFP news agency.

A further 10 people are missing, the country's civil defence agency says.

A reminder, Haiti is expected to see "catastrophic" flash flooding and landslides in some places today. The Caribbean country is significantly less developed than its neighbours, and is likely to see "extensive damage and isolation of communities".

“It is not going to be an easy road, Jamaica,” says local government minister Desmond McKenzie.

He tells the press conference they have seen the extent of the damage and will do everything to ensure a speedy response that adheres to protocols and is within the law.

He says he is sure people will have woken up this morning “wondering what their future will be like”.

“The government is here, we are committed”, he says, adding the people of Jamaica can expect a comprehensive report on the status of the country in the coming hours.

With that, the briefing comes to a close.

A baby was safely delivered by midwives while Jamaica was being hit by the hurricane, McKenzie said at the briefing a short while ago.

"There is a Melissa baby," he says, thanking medical staff for their actions under extreme circumstances.

He says another two deliveries occurred during the hurricane, which McKenzie says is a demonstration of how Jamaica can "rise to the occasion" in difficult times.