Hurricane Melissa: Bermuda braces for impact as Jamaica and Cuba recover

Jodie Long of Baker, West Virginia, was staying at a resort 20 minutes from Montego Bay when Hurricane Melissa hit the Caribbean island Tuesday.

She described feeling "pretty helpless" as the storm pummeled the resort and triggered flooding in her room, broke glass and ripped solar panels from the roof.

Long was supposed to fly out Monday morning, but the flight was canceled because of Melissa. Instead, she and her husband were forced to wait out the worst.

“You just had to hunker down, barricaded our windows with the mattress and the couch and just kind of stayed. They told us to take cover in our bathroom. We stayed in the living room area. My husband was against the window and felt a pop that actually knocked our door from the frame. So it got pretty intense,” she said.

The days following were also challenging.

“We lost power. We were on a generator. We had no AC ... and so we literally took off for Kingston today with no flight booked, nothing. We just knew we needed to get out of there,” she said.

Today they’re at the airport, where they secured a flight for tomorrow. 

Key roads, the airport and schools will be closed in Bermuda as Hurricane Melissa draws near. 

The government of Bermuda said the Causeway — narrow roads and bridges that connect Bermuda’s main island to the airport — will close at 10 p.m. local time. L.F. Wade International Airport will close at 6 p.m. and reopen at noon tomorrow. 

All schools will be closed tomorrow, and government offices will shutter until 1 p.m. The final bus routes will depart at 7 o’clock tonight, and all ferry routes will be canceled tomorrow. 

A government shelter at CedarBridge will open at 7 o’clock tonight for those in need of shelter. 

“Until the official 'All Clear' is issued, residents are urged to stay off the roads so Government work crews can safely assess and clear debris,” the government said, adding that a public update will be issued tomorrow morning.

Pamella Foster stands amid debris in Black River today.

Davia Banton stands in front of a destroyed building in Black River today.

Kimberley Dunkley Watkins said she hasn't heard from her younger brother who lives in Montego Bay, Jamaica, since Monday evening.

"It's probably one of the worst experiences of my life, and I lived through Hurricane Gilbert," she said. "So it's rough."

Watkins said she believes she can't get in touch with her brother because power is out in much of the country. Jamaican officials said earlier that more than 70% of the country remains without power.

Watkins was returning to Jamaica from Miami after having been unable to return home from a work trip in the Bahamas. Her two young children and her husband endured the hurricane from their home in Kingston.

Jamaican resident still hasn’t heard from her brother since Hurricane Melissa hit

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Conditions in Bermuda will "rapidly deteriorate" later today, the National Hurricane Center said in its 2 p.m. ET update.

The NHC said that maximum sustained winds "remain near 105 mph (165 km/h) with higher gusts" and that "little change in strength is expected today."

It added that an inch of rain is expected through tonight and that coastal flooding is possible because of projected storm surge.

With rain still falling, residents waded through floodwaters in Petit-Goâve, Haiti, today.

The Jamaica Constabulary Force told NBC News today that there are nine storm-related deaths in Jamaica, up from the previously reported seven.

Hurricane Melissa is also responsible for at least 26 deaths in Haiti and one in the Dominican Republic, according to officials.

Vehicles maneuver yesterday on a flooded road in St. Elizabeth, Jamaica. Ricardo Makyn / AFP - Getty Images

Andrew Wheatley, Jamaica's minister of science, energy and technology, warned the public about the "emergence of fraudulent websites attempting to exploit generosity in the week of Hurricane Melissa in Jamaica."

Wheatley said at a news conference that the government identified at least 28 websites trying to divert contributions away from legitimate sources.

"While Jamaica and the government tries to deal with the aftermath of Hurricane Melissa, we have some unscrupulous players, not necessarily within Jamaica but worldwide, trying to take this advantage of the situation," he said.

Bermuda's government warned its residents of the coming storm today.

In a Facebook statement, the government said Hurricane Melissa is expected to pass "approximately 112 nautical miles northwest of the island around 1 a.m. Friday, October 31."

It added that "hazardous conditions, including dangerous seas (up to 35ft outside the reef), heavy rain, and the risk of isolated thunder and funnel clouds are expected tonight." And although Melissa has weakened, the government warned that winds are expected to exceed 100 mph.

"Residents are strongly urged to complete all hurricane preparations by this afternoon, stay off the roads once conditions worsen, and remain indoors until authorities confirm it is safe to move about," the statement said.

A major water system in western Jamaica was dislodged and washed away in the storm, Jamaican Water Minister Matthew Samuda said at the news conference.

The water system was in St. James and Hanover, areas ravaged by Hurricane Melissa, Samuda said.

"The larger issue that we face, as you can imagine, is in western Jamaica. I start first with the northwest, something that we hadn't contemplated, or certainly had hoped wouldn't happen, has indeed occurred," he said.

Samuda said the water system serves "about 35 to 40% of St. James and most of Hanover."

Dana Dixon, Jamaica’s information minister, tried to empathize with frustrated Jamaicans who have not heard from their loved ones due to power outages, disclosing that she hadn't heard from some of her family for days.

"I didn't hear from them for days. I was a wreck," she said. "So I know there are so many people in Jamaica, all over the world that I know, I know your heart is breaking because you've not heard from your families."

"Please know that the government is doing everything we can to get to them. ... It may take a little time, but we're going to do it as quickly as we can, and get aid and food to all those who need it," she added.

At least 82 roads in Jamaica remain fully closed, Robert Morgan, the country's infrastructure minister, said at the news conference.

Morgan said they fully cleared 11 roads and partially cleared over 40 others, adding that downed power lines are complicating things.

"A large percentage of the Jamaican public service facilities are lying on the road," he said. "The contractors cannot touch those power lines without the Jamaica public service company saying to us it is safe for us to do so."

A car is surrounded by debris yesterday in Black River, Jamaica. Ricardo Makyn / AFP - Getty Images

Over 70% of Jamaica remains without power, Jamaican Telecommunications and Transportation Minister Daryl Vaz said at the news conference.

Downed electrical poles block a street yesterday in Black River, Jamaica. Ricardo Makyn / AFP - Getty Images

All three international airports in Jamaica are now open, Jamaican Telecommunications Minister Daryl Vaz said at the news conference today.

Vaz said that the three airports on the island will receive at least 13 flights — nine into Norman Manley, two into Ian Fleming and two into Montego Bay — with incoming aid.

"Montego Bay airport is receiving relief flights and are expected to announce in a matter of hours, the commercial operations limited, to start tomorrow," he added.

Dana Dixon, Jamaica’s information minister, said the Jamaican military has dedicated a helicopter to locate and collect bodies.

"We get a lot of reports about potential bodies. We’re not sure — they have to verify this," she said at the news conference. "So, we have a helicopter that’s been dedicated that’s going to be doing that very, very difficult work."

"Obviously, we continue to pray that we will not have to recover many bodies, but just know that the JDF is doing everything they can to get there and to do what is necessary," she added, referring to the country's military.

Dana Dixon, Jamaica’s information minister, said at a news conference today that authorities are still working to clear roadways for ambulances, other emergency services and aid to reach affected areas of the island nation.

"These are disaster areas, and so we need to note to everyone, even though we're clearing roads, especially in the most affected areas, stay off the road," she said. "We need the emergency vehicles to pass. We're opening it for the ambulances."

 Ricardo Makyn / AFP - Getty Images

Destroyed buildings in Black River yesterday.

Hurricane Melissa was 295 miles northeast of the central Bahamas as of this morning. The storm is projected to race toward Bermuda, passing west of the island later today into tonight. Melissa will finally weaken and stay that way as it heads toward the Canadian Maritimes. 

By Saturday, the storm will have lost its tropical characteristics — and its name — and become a strong post-tropical cyclone over the North Atlantic, making a beeline for St. John’s.

Residents walk through Lacovia Tombstone, Jamaica, in the aftermath of Hurricane Melissa yesterday. Matias Delacroix / AP

Passengers boarded the first commercial flight to Jamaica since Hurricane Melissa hit the island nation on Monday.

Before boarding the American Airlines flight, a flight attendant at the gate made a PA announcement saying Jamaica is her home, speaking from the heart in acknowledging the situation on the ground.

First passenger planes depart for Jamaica after Hurricane Melissa

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Hurricane Melissa has caused catastrophic damage across the Caribbean with at least 36 deaths linked to the devastating storm. NBC News’ George Solis reports from the ground in Jamaica on the latest conditions, and Ivonne Rodriguez-Wiewall, executive adviser for Caribbean Direct Relief, spoke with NBC News’ Savannah Sellers about the extensive damage across the Caribbean.

At least 36 people dead after Hurricane Melissa batters Caribbean islands

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Destroyed buildings in Black River, Jamaica, yesterday. Ricardo Makyn / AFP via Getty Images

Traffic snarled as stop lights lie among piles of debris. Once-mighty trees and power lines in ruin on streets turned to rivers. Entire communities swept away by winds and floodwaters, according to satellite imagery.

These are just some of the scenes of devastation Jamaica woke up to this morning, 48 hours after Hurricane Melissa raged through the island nation as the most powerful storm in its history and one of the most potent ever recorded anywhere. The United Nations said the damage was on a level “never seen before.”

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