Hurricane Melissa was "moving quickly away" from Bermuda early Friday after the death toll rose to nearly 50 people, officials said. The ferocious storm has devastated Caribbean islands and is expected to become an "

Hurricane Melissa— one of the strongest Atlantic hurricanes ever recorded—is now off Cuba’s eastern coast, after leaving a trail of destruction across the large island and its much smaller neighbor, Jamaica.

Hurricane Melissa is now moving northeast from Cuba after hammering the island with powerful winds and rain. As the storm scrapes Turks and Caicos and the Bahamas with its destructive force, residents in low-lying and flood prone areas have been urged to evacuate ahead of a shelter-in-place order coming tonight.

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.

Jamaica and other parts of the Caribbean are staring down what could become a catastrophic, days-long assault of extreme rainfall and damaging winds.

The State Department has mobilized search and rescue teams and is sending much-needed aid to Caribbean islands impacted by Hurricane Melissa.

South Florida was spared a direct blow from Hurricane Melissa, but the massive storm still hit home for the millions of residents there who have deep roots in the Caribbean.

In the wake of destruction caused by Hurricane Melissa in Jamaica, Caribbean immigration advocates in New York are urging United States (US) President Donald Trump to protect Jamaicans in New York by granting them Temporary Protected Status (TPS).