Nineteen people are confirmed dead in Jamaica after Hurricane Melissa tore through the island as a Category 5 hurricane this week -- and that death toll is expected to rise, officials said.

Hurricane Melissa slammed into Jamaica as a brutal Category 5 storm, leaving behind catastrophic damage: collapsed homes, flooded parishes and power outages that cover nearly the entire island.

Essential relief supplies are now rolling into hurricane-stricken St. Elizabeth and Westmoreland, most of which had been cut off by fallen concrete posts and trees strewn across roads.