Category 5 Hurricane Melissa sped up early Tuesday making landfall in Jamaica around 1 p.m, tying the record for the strongest landfall in the Atlantic.

Caribbean countries are reeling as Hurricane Melissa has left a trail of devastation and flooding in Jamaica, Haiti and Cuba. At least four people in Jamaica are confirmed dead and at least 20 people have died in Haiti flooding.

CBS News Miami has been in touch with families living through the aftermath, including Marvin Edwards, who rode out the hurricane in Montego Bay.

Hurricane Melissa is on track to pass through the southeastern islands of the Bahamas, which are sparsely populated compared to the islands in the north of the archipelago. The two islands that are in the storm’s direct path, Crooked Island and Long Island, have a total population of just a few thousand people.

Category 5 Hurricane Melissa has made landfall already in Jamaica and Cuba, as one of the strongest hurricanes to ever make landfall.

The storm left widespread destruction and at least dozens of deaths in its path. In Chicago, people are looking for ways to help.

Hours after the storm passed Jamaica, causing a massive power outage, authorities urged residents to continue sheltering.

Hurricane Melissa— one of the strongest Atlantic hurricanes ever recorded—is now off Cuba’s eastern coast, after leaving a trail of destruction across the large island and its much smaller neighbor, Jamaica.