Communities across the northern Caribbean are reeling in the aftermath of former Hurricane Melissa on Friday after the storm left a trail of devastation as it tore through the region as one of the strongest Atlantic storms on record.

The ex-hurricane brought torrential rains and damaging winds, which left hundreds of thousands without power, destroyed homes and scattered fields with debris. Though rescue and recovery operations were underway, efforts continued to be hindered by widespread power outages and blocked roads.

In Jamaica, local authorities said crews and residents were working to assist with relief support. Desmond McKenzie, the country's minister of local government and community development, previously said over 170 communities across six parishes were moderately or severely affected by the storm.

"We have never had a Category 5 hurricane in our country. The devastation in the west is unimaginable," said Jamaican Minister of Education, Skills, Youth and Information Dana Morris Dixon at a news conference Friday.

In Cuba and Haiti, heavy rainfall caused extensive damage. According to Francisco Pichon, resident coordinator for Cuba at the United Nations, more than 200 communities remained isolated and without communications due to flooding and landslides. The former hurricane unleashed catastrophic flooding in Haiti, damaging homes and forcing thousands of people into emergency shelters.

Officials across the region said they expected the death toll to rise as they continued to verify reported deaths and search for missing people. By Thursday night, at least 50 deaths had been attributed to the storm. In Jamaica, 19 deaths have been confirmed but the number is expected to increase, Dixon said Friday.

At least 50 deaths reported in Haiti, Jamaica, Dominican Republic after ex-Hurricane Melissa

Authorities in Haiti, which was not directly hit by the former hurricane but was battered with days of rainfall, said Thursday that at least 30 people were killed in the storm and 20 more were missing. At least 23 people, including 10 children, died due to floods in Petit-Goâve, a coastal town about 40 miles west of the capital, where a river burst its banks.

In Jamaica, at least 19 people were killed in the storm, officials confirmed Friday, but the death toll is expected to rise as authorities confirm additional death reports. Local officials previously said they had dedicated a helicopter to the recovery of bodies and authorities were continuing search and rescue efforts.

"These are Jamaicans who we are so devastated to know that they have lost their lives. Every single life lost is a huge tragedy," Dixon said.

At least two deaths were reported in the Dominican Republic, including one person who died before the storm made landfall, according to the Pan American Health Organization. Before landfall, authorities also reported the storm caused three deaths in Jamaica and three in Haiti.

Melissa weakens and retreats from Bermuda

Friday morning, Melissa barreled away from Bermuda after making its closest approach at about 2 a.m. ET, reaching about 150 miles north-northwest from land as a Category 1 storm with hurricane-force wind gusts reaching Bermuda, the National Hurricane Center said.

By 11 a.m., Melissa was downgraded to a "powerful" post-tropical cyclone packing 85 mph winds and retreating to the northeast at 48 mph.

Melissa is expected to make a gradual slowdown and turn to the east-northeast over the weekend and weaken further over the next few days.

Jamaica works to deliver food, clear roads

Jamaican officials said on Friday its works department had made progress on clearing key roads to allow first responders to access communities hit by Melissa.

Additional resources, including helicopters, have arrived in Jamaica that will be used to deliver food and other aid to impacted communities that are difficult to reach, Dixon said. Dixon previously pledged the Jamaican government would continue working until it reaches every person who needs help.

"There are many individuals who are not hearing from their families because of the communication break," she added.

Melissa to impact Atlantic Canada, Northeast US next

Post-Tropical Cyclone Melissa is expected to pass to the south of the Avalon Peninsula of Newfoundland, Canada, on Friday night, the hurricane center said. It will also reach about 580 miles from Nantucket, Massachusetts, later Friday.

Swells generated by the storm will impact the Northeast U.S. coast and Atlantic Canada and persist into the weekend, bringing life-threatening rip currents and surf conditions, forecasters said.

Melissa will bring "significant risks to lives, property and business operations" in Newfoundland, AccuWeather reported.

Former Hurricane Melissa is influencing North Carolina ocean conditions

Long period waves from ex-Hurricane Melissa are forecast to bring large surf to North Carolina’s Outer Banks on Friday.

A significant wave run up may result in the ocean reaching past the dunes in vulnerable locations, said the National Weather Service in Morehead City.

Only isolated road closures are expected, the weather service said.

Five houses collapsed in Buxton, North Carolina, this week and officials at Cape Hatteras National Seashore has reported other homes remain at risk.

A high risk of rip currents is forecast along the Outer Banks and North Carolina coast on Friday from North Topsail Beach to Duck.

Because of Melissa’s angle as it moves away into the North Atlantic, its swell is not expected to affect the New England coast, said Joe Dellicarpini, a meteorologist with the weather service in Boston.

Dozens of health centers impacted by Melissa, organization says

Clinics and hospitals in Jamaica sustained "extensive damage" when Melissa roared through the island nation, and dozens of health centers in Cuba, Haiti and the Dominican Republic were impacted, according to a report from the Pan American Health Organization.

The hardest-hit hospitals were all in the western half of the island, according to the report. Black River Hospital in St. Elizabeth, Jamaica, is inoperable with its roof collapsed, walls damaged and extensive flooding, the report said. Falmouth Hospital in Trelawny was severely damaged from storm surge flooding, while Noel Holmes in Hanover and Cornwall Regional in St. James were both damaged and had services relocated.

Five hospitals in Jamaica have reopened for full services and several other health centers began delivering services during limited hours on Thursday, government officials said in an update. Other hospitals are in "emergency mode," providing critical and life-saving care only.

Here's how you can help Caribbean nations devastated by Hurricane Melissa

Humanitarian organizations have begun mobilizing to provide immediate relief and prepare for long-term recovery after the storm.

You can help with donations and other forms of support for organizations, including American Friends of Jamaica, the American Red Cross, Americares, CARE, Global Giving, the Salvation Army, and several others. See a full list here.

Jamaican officials also launched the Support Jamaica website at https://supportjamaica.gov.jm/ where you can make a donation. The government also warned that there have been "nefarious individuals" collecting money on behalf of the government, but only sites that end in .gov.jm are official government sites.

Contributing: N'dea Yancey-Bragg and Samantha Neely, USA TODAY; Reuters

This article originally appeared on USA TODAY: Death toll climbs to 50 in the Caribbean as Melissa weakens: Live updates

Reporting by Thao Nguyen, Jeanine Santucci and Dinah Voyles Pulver, USA TODAY / USA TODAY

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