Before the storm barreled north over Cuba, at least seven people died across the Caribbean as the storm approached Jamaica. See the storm's impact on Cuba.

Rescue operations and urgent evacuations continued in Cuba on Friday, as people remained trapped by severe flooding left by the torrential rains from Hurricane Melissa on rural areas and towns across the affected provinces on the eastern end of the island.

A very powerful Hurricane Melissa left a trail of devastation through eastern Cuba Wednesday morning, causing extensive damage, flooding and power outages to the region.

The hurricane made landfall in Cuba on Oct. 29 striking the Guamá area in Santiago de Cuba province as a Category 3 hurricane.

Melissa is forecast to move off the northern coast of Cuba on Wednesday morning as it heads towards the Bahamas. It is expected to pass through the Bahamas as a Category 2 storm in the afternoon. A Hurricane Warning is in effect for the southeastern and central Bahamas.

Hurricane Melissa had weakened some by Wednesday morning after hitting eastern Cuba as a Category 3 storm with sustained winds of roughly 120 mph, bringing life-threatening flooding, landslides and dangerous winds to the island a day after it bombarded Jamaica .

Hurricane Melissa made landfall on Cuba’s southern coast near Santiago de Cuba early Wednesday morning as a powerful Category 3 storm, bringing torrential rainfall and flooding to the island’s eastern provinces.

Hurricane Melissa brought hurricane-force gusts to Bermuda overnight and will weaken as it heads north, the U.S. National Hurricane Center said. Maps show its forecast path.