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.

By Maria Tsvetkova, Helen Coster and Aleksandra Michalska NEW YORK (Reuters) -New York chef Kemoy Gordon last spoke to his cousin in Jamaica on Monday, as his family prepared to leave their beachside home on the western part of the Caribbean island ahead of Hurricane Melissa.

After Hurricane Melissa hit Jamaica and the Caribbean, the travel industry quickly responded to support recovery efforts.

Insurance, bonds and savings will speed recovery from the monster hurricane, but the Caribbean nation will still need international aid.

Hurricane Melissa— one of the strongest Atlantic hurricanes ever recorded—is now off Cuba’s eastern coast, after leaving a trail of destruction across the large island and its much smaller neighbor, Jamaica.

The Jamaica Foundation of Houston has set up a donation portal on its website to help raise funds for recovery in the island nation, where the deadly Category 5 storm left most residents without electricity.

The storm left widespread destruction and at least dozens of deaths in its path. In Chicago, people are looking for ways to help.

Hurricane Melissa made landfall in Jamaica as a Category 5 storm with wind speeds of up to 185 miles per hour.