At least 30 people are dead and all of Jamaica has been declared a “disaster area” after Hurricane Melissa ripped down power lines and caused widespread flooding across the Caribbean.

Melissa made landfall in Jamaica as a Category 5 hurricane around 1 p.m. ET yesterday as the strongest hurricane in the island's history. Prime Minister Andrew Holness declared the country a disaster area, with St. Elizabeth Parish reported to be "underwater."

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.

There is no infrastructure in the region that can withstand a Category 5,” Jamaican Prime Minister Andrew Holness said ahead of the storm's landfall.

Hurricane Melissa is now moving northeast from Cuba after hammering the island with powerful winds and rain. As the storm scrapes Turks and Caicos and the Bahamas with its destructive force, residents in low-lying and flood prone areas have been urged to evacuate ahead of a shelter-in-place order coming tonight.

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

In Haiti, 25 people have died after a river burst its banks during Hurricane Melissa. The storm hit Jamaica yesterday, leaving 77% of the island without power. This morning, it swept across Cuba. The extent of the damage across the Caribbean is not yet known.

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.