The death toll from Hurricane Melissa climbed to nearly 50 on Thursday as the powerful storm tore through the Caribbean, leaving widespread devastation across Jamaica, Haiti, Cuba, and the Dominican Republic before turning toward Bermuda. The U.S. National Hurricane Center (NHC) said the storm carried sustained winds of 100 miles per hour, with a hurricane warning in effect for the island.

In Jamaica, authorities confirmed 19 deaths, mostly in the hard-hit parishes of Westmoreland and St. Elizabeth. Information Minister Dana Morris Dixon said entire communities have been leveled and warned that the death toll could rise as crews reach isolated areas. Communication and transportation remain disrupted across much of the island.

Haiti reported the highest toll, with 30 people dead, 20 injured, and 20 missing, according to the country’s civil defense agency. More than 1,000 homes were flooded and 16,000 people have been forced into shelters as rescue operations continue in heavily affected regions.

In Cuba, the storm battered eastern provinces already struggling with economic hardship, flooding neighborhoods and downing power lines. Resident Felicia Correa, from La Trampa near El Cobre, described total destruction in her community as families searched through the debris of their homes.

Scientists at Imperial College London said the hurricane was made four times more likely by human-caused climate change. As Melissa moved north over the Atlantic, the NHC warned that flooding and high winds would continue in parts of the Caribbean, leaving thousands homeless and an entire region facing a long recovery.