Follow live updates on Hurricane Melissa as the death toll reaches 38 people. Recovery efforts are underway in Jamaica, Haiti, Cuba and the Dominican Republic.

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

When the storm grew into Category 5 Hurricane Melissa, the couple’s flight home was canceled. Unable to book another flight home, with the main airport closed, they were stranded in the storm’s path. They barricaded their room’s windows with furniture, and took shelter in the bathroom.

As airports in Jamaica slowly reopen following Hurricane Melissa, relief efforts are also beginning to pour into the island. From a private hangar at Miami International Airport, one of the first planes bound for Kingston was loaded with hundreds of pounds of supplies coordinated by reggae superstar Norville "Shaggy" Rogers.

A tourist visiting Jamaica described the record-breaking Hurriane Melissa as "a freight train with a jet engine."

Sean Paul will match donations up to $50,000 to help those affected by Hurricane Melissa, the Jamaican dancehall singer and rapper announced on Thursday, Oct. 30.

The National Hurricane Center in Miami says Melissa has begun affecting the southeastern Bahamas SANTIAGO DE CUBA, Cuba — Melissa began affecting the southeastern Bahamas on Wednesday, according to the National Hurricane Center in Miami.

Hurricane Melissa made landfall in Jamaica on Tuesday as one of the most powerful storms in history and, while the storm has weakened, it is currently making its way toward Bermuda. The National Hurricane Center said in its latest advisory Melissa is located about 215 miles northeast of the central Bahamas with maximum sustained winds around 105 mph with higher gusts,