Images from a helicopter over Black River, a coastal town of 5,000 in southwestern Jamaica, show the extent of the devastation caused by Hurricane Melissa.

Across the sea in Haiti, Melissa killed at least 20 people, including ten children. Heavy rains caused a flash flood that swept away their makeshift homes on the banks of the Digue river in Petit-Goâve, on the southern peninsula. The main road into the town of Jacmel, on Haiti’s south coast, was also sheered off by storm surge.

The UK government has chartered flights to help British nationals leave Jamaica in the wake of Hurricane Melissa. As many as 8,000 Britons are understood to be on the Caribbean Island. The Foreign Office has urged them to register their presence to receive updates on the disaster response.

The Caribbean storm — among the most powerful in history, with 185 mph winds — is expected to bring flash-flooding and landslides as it slowly moves across the island and heads north toward Cuba.

USAID was the lead American agency in disaster response. Now that it's been dismantled, questions are arising about how effective U.S. relief efforts will be in Jamaica after the hurricane.

A couple from Cane Bay in the Charleston area went to Jamacia on their honeymoon after their wedding, but could not leave after Hurricane Melissa made landfall.

Amanda Tessoff and her family were in Jamaica when Hurricane Melissa made landfall. Now, the family is working to get back home.

A father-of-three has described the "unbearable" moment the centre of Hurricane Melissa passed over his hotel room in Jamaica where his family had barricaded themselves in. The category 5 storm hit the south west of the Caribbean island earlier bringing catastrophic wind speeds of 185 mph (295 km/h) and risks of flash flooding.