Hurricane Melissa, a storm of historic intensity, has left a devastating path across the Caribbean, prompting a preliminary estimate of $48 billion to $52 billion in total damage and economic loss, according to AccuWeather experts.

The hurricane, which made a record-breaking Category 5 landfall in Jamaica—the strongest ever recorded to hit the island—and followed with a destructive second landfall in Cuba, continues to bring life-threatening conditions to the Bahamas.

“This historic landfall left a path of catastrophic destruction where the eye of the storm crossed through western Jamaica,” said AccuWeather Chief Meteorologist Jonathan Porter. “Homes and businesses were destroyed by hours of extreme winds. Communities across the island and adjacent areas of Southern Hispaniola were f

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