Hurricane Melissa, one of the strongest Atlantic storms on record, has caused widespread devastation across the Caribbean, leaving dozens dead and entire communities cut off as it moves towards the Bahamas.

The storm made landfall in Cuba early Wednesday as an “extremely dangerous” Category 3 hurricane, according to the US National Hurricane Centre (NHC) in Miami.

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Cuban authorities said the island suffered “significant damage”, with rising river levels isolating around 140,000 people.

The storm has since moved off the island and into the Atlantic Ocean, where it is expected to bring heavy rainfall and flooding to the southeast Bahamas.

Hurricane Melissa earlier struck Jamaica as a Category 5 hurricane around 1 p.m. ET on Tuesday, the strongest storm in the island’s recor

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