[BBC] The true extent of Hurricane Melissa is still being revealed in Jamaica.
Without power or phone coverage, much of the country is isolated and so information is trickling through.
Three-quarters of the country had no electricity overnight, while the numbers of people injured – or perhaps dead – haven’t even begun to be counted.
Many parts of Jamaica’s western side are under water, with homes destroyed by strong winds after the hurricane tore across the island with catastrophic force.
As wind and rain lashed through the night, one local official said the destruction resembled “the scene of an apocalypse movie.”
With communications crippled, the true scale of the disaster remains unknown. Prime Minister Andrew Holness declared the island a “disaster area” late Tuesday, warning 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.”
Summary
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Much of Jamaica is without power or phone service after the country’s strongest-ever hurricane, our correspondent in Kingston says
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Nick Davis reports floods, mudslides, roofs being ripped from buildings, and “palm trees tossed like toothpicks”
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After crossing Jamaica, Hurricane Melissa hit Cuba, bringing 115mph winds and heavy rain and warnings of “life-threatening” storm surges
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“The night was terrifying,” one man in Cuba tells us. “It sounded like a tornado. I was awake all night”
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The hurricane is now moving north-east towards the Bahamas and Bermuda
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