Traffic snarled as stoplights lay among piles of debris. Once-mighty trees and power lines in ruin on streets turned to rivers. Entire communities swept away by wind and floodwater, according to satellite imagery .

Melissa left over 70% of Jamaica without power, Telecommunications and Transportation Minister Daryl Vaz said at a news conference Thursday.

At least 82 roads on the island were closed as of Thursday morning, said Robert Morgan, the country’s infrastructure minister.

"A large percentage of the Jamaican public service facilities are lying on the road,” Morgan said. “The contractors cannot touch those power lines without the Jamaica Public Service Company saying to us it is safe for us to do so."

Those are just some of the scenes of devastation Jamaica woke up to Thursday m

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