Hours after the storm passed Jamaica, causing a massive power outage, authorities urged residents to continue sheltering.

Stay safe during hurricanes with evacuation plans, go-bag prep, home protection, emergency alerts, and post-storm safety guidance for you and your family.

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

Hurricane Melissa has caused devastating flooding in Haiti, leading to at least 20 deaths on the island. Many homes have been washed away in the floodwaters and people have been clearing debris with their bare hands, Pascal Bimenyimana from the World Relief NGO says.

Hurricane season can be stressful for anyone near the potential path of a storm, as powerful winds and heavy rain can cause widespread damage, cut power for days or weeks and otherwise upend people’s lives.

A Texas woman stranded in Jamaica with her family described what it was like to experience the catastrophic storm while sheltering at a Sandals resort.

Thousands of tourists remain stranded, with airports closed after the storm battered the Caribbean island before heading to Cuba, Maryam Zakir-Hussain reports

A father-of-three has described the "unbearable" moment the centre of Hurricane Melissa passed over his hotel room in Jamaica where his family had barricaded themselves in. The category 5 storm hit the south west of the Caribbean island earlier bringing catastrophic wind speeds of 185 mph (295 km/h) and risks of flash flooding.

We brought our 20-month-old son into the shower. It felt like a freight train was going by. It was so loud. The whole house was shaking.