Jamaican citizens are facing yet another major concern as they are left with no electricity and running communication lines after Hurricane Melissa left the island in ruins.
As reported by the BBC, on Wednesday, October 29, around three-quarters of the island was without power, and significant western side was submerged in water.
With wind and rain lashing through the night, one local official said the destruction resembled "the scene of an apocalypse movie".
Late Tuesday, Prime Minister Andrew Holness declared the island a "disaster area" and also warned of "devastating impacts" and "significant damage" to hospitals, homes and businesses.
Although no deaths have yet been confirmed, Montego Bay's mayor, Richard Vernon, told the BBC his first task at daybreak would be "to check if everybody is alive."
Hurricane Melissa, the strongest storm to strike Jamaica in modern history, made its way across the country on Tuesday, leaving behind a trail of ruin.
At its peak, the hurricane sustained winds of 298 km/h (185 mph), stronger than Hurricane Katrina, which devastated New Orleans in 2005 and killed 1,392 people.
Meteorologists noted that Hurricane Melissa intensified at an alarming speed, partly due to climate change.
By the time it struck Jamaica, the storm had reached Category 5 strength, with gusts fierce enough to tear roofs from concrete homes, uproot trees and snap power poles.
Hurricane Melissa had moved on to make landfall in Cuba by early Wednesday morning, leaving Jamaica paralysed and silent.Â
Though it has since weakened to a Category 3 hurricane, it remains powerful with wind speeds of over 200 km/h (124 mph).
