Most of the island of two million people was without internet service, and major airports were closed. Kingston, the capital, was mostly spared.

Thousands of Jamaicans were still without power, water and internet service on Thursday as the government continued to assess the widespread damage from Hurricane Melissa.

The director of apostolates for a Jamaica-based religious community serving the poor in Kingston said Oct. 28 that the Category-5 Hurricane Melissa seems to be sparing Kingston the worst of its wrath. But he added that the storm was not yet finished and much remained unknown about the historic hurricane’s impact in the region.

Hurricane Melissa intensified to Category 5 strength as it neared Jamaica with up to 30 inches of rain and a life-threatening storm surge.

Follow live updates on Hurricane Melissa as the death toll reaches 38 people. Recovery efforts are underway in Jamaica, Haiti, Cuba and the Dominican Republic.

Hurricane Melissa made landfall in Jamaica on Tuesday as a Category 5 storm with winds up to 295 km/h, the strongest in 174 years. Streets in Kingston were flooded and power cuts hit a third of the island.

The Caribbean storm — among the most powerful in history, with 185 mph winds — is expected to bring flash-flooding and landslides as it slowly moves across the island and heads north toward Cuba.