Hurricane Melissa ripped a path of destruction through Jamaica after making landfall as one of the most powerful hurricanes on record, lashing the island nation with brutal winds and torrential rain before heading towards Cuba.

Prime Minister Andrew Holness declared the island a "disaster area" and authorities warned residents to remain sheltered over continued flooding and landslide risk, as dangerous weather persisted even as the hurricane's worst moved on.

The scale of Melissa's damage in Jamaica wasn't yet clear, as a comprehensive assessment could take days and much of the island was still without power, with communications networks badly disrupted.

At its peak, the storm packed ferocious sustained winds of 300 kilometres per hour.

Estimates suggest seven people have died, three in Jamaica, three in Haiti and one in the Dominican Republic.

Here are some of the images