The storm “totally destroyed” the port of Black River, the prime minister said. At least five people died in Jamaica, and the hurricane killed at least 30 in Haiti. Officials expect the toll to rise.

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.

The death toll across Jamaica is expected to rise, but Minister of Local Government and Community Development Desmond McKenzie would not provide a number on Thursday. About 13,000 people are staying in 521 shelters as of Thursday afternoon, he said.

The State Department is deploying emergency teams to the Caribbean to help in the response to Hurricane Melissa, which has battered Jamaica and nearby island nations. “In response to catastrophic

Cuban officials report no fatalities, but there has been extensive damage. Multiple Caribbean countries are reeling in the wake of Hurricane Melissa, which has been traveling through the region for the past few days, bringing torrential rains, devastating winds, landslides and flash floods.

At least 19 people have died in Jamaica as a result of Hurricane Melissa, Information Minister Dana Morris Dixon says, as search and rescue efforts continue and authorities try to get aid to hard-hit areas. The hurricane, one of the most powerful to strike the Caribbean, also killed at least 30 people in Haiti, officials say.

PORT-AU-PRINCE/KINGSTON/HAVANA (Reuters) -Hurricane Melissa's confirmed death toll climbed to 49 on Thursday, according to official reports, after wreaking destruction across much of the northern Caribbean and picking up speed as it headed past Bermuda in the North Atlantic.

The storm killed about 20 people in Haiti and flooded more than 160 homes. Five bodies were found in Jamaica, and one person died in the Dominican Republic. The U.S. State Department has asked the military to assist with disaster relief efforts.

At least 20 people in Haiti died Wednesday when a river overflowed. The storm was expected to hit the Bahamas next.

Hurricane Melissa has hit southwestern Jamaica as a catastrophic Category 5 storm, causing heavy flooding and wind damage.