Officials in Jamaica say that Hurricane Melissa ripped the roofs off 120,000 structures when it struck last week, affecting some 90,000 families in the island\u2019s western region<\/p>\n
SAN JUAN, Puerto Rico — Officials in Jamaica said Thursday that Hurricane Melissa<\/a> ripped the roofs off 120,000 structures when it struck last week, affecting some 90,000 families in the island\u2019s western region, in the latest tally of the storm’s toll.<\/p>\n More than 180 shelters remain open, with 2,487 people living in them more than a week after the Category 5 storm made landfall, according to Alvin Gayle, director general of Jamaica\u2019s emergency management office.<\/p>\n Crews are still clearing roads in an attempt to reach 27 communities that remain cut off by landslides and flooding.<\/p>\n \u201cI hear the cry of every baby that is now hungry in a community that is not yet reached. It goes to bed with me,\u201d said Prime Minister Andrew Holness<\/a>.<\/p>\n Roughly half the island remains without power, although officials have set up generators and Wi-Fi hubs in certain communities.<\/p>\n \u201cWe are making progress every day in restoring power, telecommunications, water, clearing roads and delivering aid,\u201d Gayle said. \u201cWe understand these have been some challenging times.\u201d<\/p>\n Melissa was one of the strongest Atlantic hurricanes on record<\/a>, with Holness noting that the storm caused at least $6 billion in damage, according to preliminary estimates.<\/p>\n Melissa killed at least 32 people in Jamaica and another 43 in nearby Haiti<\/a>, where 13 others remain missing.<\/p>\n