The prime minister ordered mandatory evacuations as officials braced for tens of thousands to be displaced. Three people were killed and 13 others injured during preparations for the storm, the health minister said.

Forecasters say Melissa is moving toward the north-northeast at around 21 mph and is expected to continue accelerating northeastward.

The National Hurricane Center's 1 a.m. Friday update reported that Category 2 Hurricane Melissa is in the Atlantic Ocean, 260 miles west-southwest of Bermuda. The hurricane is moving northeast at 32 mph, with maximum sustained winds of 105 mph.

The National Hurricane Center's 5 p.m. Thursday update reported that Category 2 Hurricane Melissa is in the Atlantic Ocean, 325 miles west-southwest of Bermuda. The hurricane is moving northeast at 31 mph, with maximum sustained winds of 105 mph.

Parts of the Caribbean began surveying the damage caused by the deadly Hurricane Melissa, which made landfall in Jamaica as a powerful Category 5.

At least 19 people died as a result from Hurricane Melissa in Jamaica, the country's information minister told Reuters, bringing the total confirmed death toll from the storm to at least 44.

The National Hurricane Center's 10 p.m. Thursday update reported that Category 2 Hurricane Melissa is in the Atlantic Ocean, 325 miles west-southwest of Bermuda. The hurricane is moving northeast at 31 mph, with maximum sustained winds of 105 mph.

The storm was making its way to the Bahamas and Bermuda on Thursday morning as Jamaica confronted the devastation from one of the most potent storms ever recorded anywhere.