Parts of the Caribbean began surveying the extensive damage caused by the deadly Hurricane Melissa, which made landfall in Jamaica as a powerful Category 5 hurricane on Tuesday, Oct. 28.

As the recovery efforts continue, the death toll is climbing across the region — with more than 30 deaths attributed to the storm in Jamaica, Haiti, and the Dominican Republic — as authorities assess the number of casualties and damage.

"We are trying to get to the areas that have been marooned. We will get there... We are going to get to every single Jamaican and give them support,” said Jamaican Minister of Education, Skills, Youth, and Information Dana Dixon.

According to authorities, 24 people were killed, largely due to floods in Petit-Goâve, a coastal town about 40 miles west of the capital, where a river burst its banks. Gregoire Goodstein, the United Nations' humanitarian coordinator ad interim for Haiti, said at least 17 were injured and 18 more are still missing.

"Later on, I hope we will be able to give a proper update on the number of deaths so far,” Desmond McKenzie, Jamaica's minister for local government and community development, said at a news conference. “There has been casualties, and we do anticipate, based on our information, that there will be more.”

Satellite images of Jamaica before and after Hurricane Melissa

The extensive damage caused to Jamaica can be seen from outer space, with satellite images of the island showing the near flattening of towns and the flooding of fishing villages and farmland.

“The entire Jamaica is really broken because of what has happened, but we remain resilient," Dixon said.

As of Thursday afternoon, Oct. 30, Hurricane Melissa remains a Category 2 storm with 105 mph winds as it approaches Bermuda. Little change in strength is expected, but the storm is likely to weaken on Friday, Oct. 31, the National Hurricane Center said.

Contributing: Thao Nguyen, Jeanine Santucci, Doyle Rice, and Dinah Voyles Pulver, USA TODAY

Fernando Cervantes Jr. is a trending news reporter for USA TODAY. Reach him at fernando.cervantes@gannett.com and follow him on X @fern_cerv_.

This article originally appeared on USA TODAY: Satellite images show massive damage in Jamaica caused by Hurricane Melissa

Reporting by Fernando Cervantes Jr., USA TODAY / USA TODAY

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