Storm-ravaged communities in western Jamaica were facing dire straits Sunday, days after record-setting Hurricane Melissa left towns demolished and at least 28 people dead across the island. Melissa became the most intense storm to make landfall in 90 years when it barreled into Jamaica last Tuesday as a Category 5 hurricane packing winds of 185 miles (300 kilometers) per hour.

Hurricane Melissa has devastated Jamaica, causing severe damage to fishing and farming communities. Prince Davis, a fisherman, discovered his boat and home were destroyed while he was in Nicaragua.

Follow live updates on Hurricane Melissa as the death toll reaches 38 people. Recovery efforts are underway in Jamaica, Haiti, Cuba and the Dominican Republic.

Mercy Chefs, a disaster relief organization, has established operations on Jamaica’s west side in St. Elizabeth, an area that had received minimal assistance until now, according to the organization’s founder and CEO Gary LeBlanc.

The emotional reunion took place at Birmingham-Shuttlesworth International Airport with flowers, balloons and hugs as family members welcomed the travelers home.

Hurricane Melissa made landfall in southwest Jamaica near the coastal town of Black River, which the government has described as 'ground zero.'

School In A Bag in Chilthorne Domer has been supporting aid campaigns for 15 years, and has operated in 61 different countries in that time. Hurricane Melissa hit Jamaica last week, before making its way across the Caribbean to Haiti and Cuba, claiming at least 49 lives in its path.