Hurricane Melissa made landfall in Cuba overnight after battering Jamaica as one of the most powerful landfalling storms in Atlantic basin history.

Emergency relief flights began landing at Jamaica’s main international airport, which reopened late Wednesday, as crews distributed water, food and other basic supplies.

The storm was making its way to the Bahamas and Bermuda on Thursday morning as Jamaica confronted the devastation from one of the most potent storms ever recorded anywhere.

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.

Communities across the Caribbean are reeling in the wake of Hurricane Melissa, which ripped through Jamaica, Cuba and Hispaniola, the island comprising Haiti and the Dominican Republic, this week. While officials said that damage assessments remained underway to determine the full scope of the destruction,

Hurricane Melissa brought devastation and death to the Caribbean as it tore through the region as one of the most powerful storms on earth in more than 150 years.

Images from a helicopter over Black River, a coastal town of 5,000 in southwestern Jamaica, show the extent of the devastation caused by Hurricane Melissa.

Melissa, now a Category 2 hurricane, will bring heavy rain from the Mid-Atlantic to New England as it heads toward Bermuda and Newfoundland, Canada.

Every year thousands of workers come from abroad to work on farms in Essex County. It means leaving family behind — and with Hurricane Melissa wreaking havoc on Jamaica, workers here say it's hard to be away while their families need them.

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.