Meanwhile, Hurricane Melissa has continued north, affecting eastern Cuba and western Haiti. With both nations in the middle of complex economic and humanitarian crises, this vast storm could cause further catastrophic damage and loss of life in Caribbean countries particularly ill-equipped to cope.

Hurricane Melissa made landfall in western Jamaica early Tuesday afternoon as a powerful Category 5 storm and the strongest ever to directly hit the Caribbean nation of 2.8 million people.

On Tuesday, Hurricane Melissa made history as the strongest hurricane to make landfall in Jamaica.