Torrential rains and turbulent winds caused widespread damage as Hurricane Melissa barreled through Jamaica. Much of the infrastructure on the island was not made to withstand 185 mph winds.

“It has been rough. It has been rough knowing that some of our buildings are not geared for this,” said Bishop Cecil Riley, a Jamaican-born New Yorker and the pastor at Freedom Hall Church of God in East Flatbush, Brooklyn.

What You Need To Know

Officials say some 15,000 people were in shelters and nearly 80% of the island was without power

Some 260,000 people of Jamaican origin live in the city, making it the largest concentration in the country

Much of the infrastructure on the island was not made to withstand 185 mph winds

The Category 5 storm is the strongest hurricane to ever hit the island.

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