Jamaica will 'bounce back' from 'devastating' storm

A clean-up operation is now underway after Hurricane Melissa killed at least 19 people in Jamaica

The Jamaican people will "bounce back like they always do" following Hurricane Melissa, a man with family on the island has told the BBC.

A clean-up operation is now underway after the category five storm, one of the most powerful to ever strike the Caribbean, left at least 19 people in Jamaica dead as it swept through the island earlier this week.

Most of the island is without electricity as people try to repair damaged homes and salvage belongings from floodwaters and mud.

Gary Smith, from Bicester in Oxfordshire, said he had family on the island who told him it had been "devastated" by the storm.

"There's a lot of people who are running around frantically needing to contact their loved ones, and they don't have the chance - but fortunately I did," he told the BBC.

Mr Smith said he had been "so relieved" to get hold of his cousin who lives in Jamaica and find out she was okay.

"Thankfully her and her family are well. Their house is up in the mountains and hasn't had much damage at all, which is really, really brilliant."

He said she explained that there "wasn't much damage" on her side of the island, but that "over the west side of Jamaica, it's devastated".

Hurricane Melissa made landfall on Tuesday in Jamaica, packing winds of up to 185 mph (295 km/h), before impacting other countries in the Caribbean.

Satellite imagery showed nearly all buildings in some Jamaican villages had been destroyed by the storm.

Governments, humanitarian organisations and individuals around the world have pledged support for the nations hardest hit by the storm.

Mr Smith said the "nature of Jamaicans is you hit them hard, they'll come back stronger".

"They will always bounce back, because they've done it from so many hurricanes over the years, and this is just another one where they are going to," he added.