Death toll rises after trail of destruction disrupts aid efforts in Jamaica - Bermuda closed down its schools and ferries ahead of the storm’s impact on Thursday night

The rapidly intensifying Category 5 storm is threatening the northern Caribbean with torrential rain, deadly flooding and widespread power outages.

The federal government’s hurricane hunters have continued to fly despite the shutdown. At least two missions — one operated by NOAA on Monday and the second by the Air Force on Tuesday — were aborted when pilots experienced dangerous turbulence passing through the hurricane.

Hurricane Hunters were forced to cut short their reconnaissance mission into the Category 5 Hurricane Melissa Monday morning, Oct. 27.

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

Hurricane Melissa has caused extreme destruction and a rising death total across the Caribbean as the storm moves towards the Bahamas on Oct. 29.

The National Hurricane Center warns that Hurricane Melissa poses a threat of catastrophic flash flooding and landslides in Jamaica, Cuba and Hispaniola.

Melissa has reached hurricane strength as it nears Jamaica. The storm has already left at least three dead in Haiti and one in the Dominican Republic.

With Hurricane Melissa bearing down on Jamaica, airlines have rolled out flexible rebooking policies and canceled select flights to affected airports.

In light of the damage caused by Hurricane Melissa, Disney Treasure will no longer call to Falmouth, Jamaica, on its next sailing.

Hurricane Melissa hit Jamaica as a Category 5. Cuban authorities reported that about 735,000 people have been evacuated so far.