Hurricane Melissa brought hurricane-force gusts to Bermuda overnight and will weaken as it heads north, the U.S. National Hurricane Center said. Maps show its forecast path.

Missy Elliott, who collaborated with Kartel on 2005’s “Bad Man,” wrote, “Prayers up for everyone in Jamaica,” on X, followed by several Jamaican flag and prayer hands emojis. When reminded to also pray for those in need in Cuba and Haiti, Eliott responded, “Absolutely.”

Most of Jamaica remains without power, as our correspondent reports floods, mudslides and "palm trees tossed like toothpicks".

Cuba worked on Friday to rescue residents still stranded by unprecedented floodwaters in the wake of Hurricane Melissa, including a flooded river that had cut off one of the country's most important east-west thoroughfares.

Hurricane Melissa made landfall in southwest Jamaica this week near the coastal town of Black River, which the government has described as “ground zero.”