Hurricane Melissa live updates: No official death toll in Jamaica

Recovery efforts are expected to ramp up across Jamaica after the monster storm ripped across the island on Tuesday, destroying homes and schools.

After the storm knocked out power to at least 500,000 customers, Jamaica Public Service said Wednesday morning, “Teams worked until late last night addressing safety risks, and restored service to some customers in least damaged parishes. However, we must get the official all-clear from relevant agencies before officially beginning post-hurricane assessment and restoration.”

The Jamaica Constabulary Force posted video of cleanup efforts at police headquarters on Wednesday.

"As the recovery phase begins following the devastating passage of Hurricane Melissa, it’s all hands on deck,” police said.

-ABC News’ Othon Leyva

The State Department said it's activated U.S.-based Urban Search and Rescue teams and has deployed a regional Disaster Assistance Response Team to help with the response to Hurricane Melissa's destruction in the Caribbean.

Melissa has weakened to a Category 2 hurricane with 105 mph winds hours after making landfall in Cuba as a Category 3 hurricane.

The storm, now moving north-northeast at 14 mph, will soon exit Cuba and take aim at the southeastern Bahamas.

As of 5 a.m. ET on Wednesday, Hurricane Melissa was a Category 3 storm with sustained winds of 115 mph moving northeast across Cuba.

Melissa -- the strongest hurricane on record to hit Jamaica -- made landfall on Cuba early on Wednesday near the city of Chivirico in the southeastern province of Santiago de Cuba.

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.

Rain totals could reach 25 inches for higher elevations in Cuba and 5 to 10 inches of rain is expected across the southeastern Bahamas.

Storm surge is still affecting the islands. Cuba is experiencing a surge of up to 12 feet along the southeast coast, with 5 to 8 feet of surge possible in the southeastern Bahamas through Wednesday.

As Melissa moves into the Atlantic Ocean, it is expected to pass close to Bermuda late on Thursday. The archipelago is under a Hurricane Watch.

-ABC News' Kenton Gewecke and Samantha Wnek