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

Hurricane Melissa has claimed 19 lives after making landfall in Jamaica on Tuesday. Information Minister Dr. Dana Morris Dixon gave the update on Thursday. Eight of the deaths were confirmed in St. Elizabeth; two in St. James, including a child; and nine in Westmoreland.

Millions of people across Jamaica are hunkering down and praying for safety from Hurricane Melissa, which made landfall on Tuesday around 1 p.m. with winds of 185 mph.

The hurricane weakened to a Category 3 after carving a path of destruction across Jamaica. Limited communications there have left officials with only partial reports as they seek to assess the scale of the damage.

Jamaica is issuing an urgent alert against Hurricane Melissa websites attempting to exploit people’s generosity in the wake of the catastrophic storm that has caused dozens of death across the region.