The rumble of large machinery, whine of chain saws and chopping of machetes echoed through communities across the northern Caribbean as they dug out from the destruction of Hurricane Melissa and surveyed the damage it left behind.

Axar.az informs, citing CBS news, the storm was being blamed for at least 45 deaths, mostly in Haiti and Jamaica. It also hit Cuba hard.

Authorities said 19 people were killed in Jamaica, at least 25 in Haiti and at least one in the Dominican Republic.

Melissa was over the open waters of the Atlantic after racing past Bermuda early Friday packing 90 mph maximum sustained winds, the Miami-based U.S. National Hurricane Center said. A hurricane warning for the wealthy British territory was discontinued.

The agency said, "Melissa is expected to become a strong post-tropical cyclone later (Friday) with gradual weakening forecast over the weekend."