Others jump into damaged stores in the hope of finding bottled water or other supplies. As the death toll rises, residents of Black River are still searching for loved ones while they also battle to survive, days after Hurricane Melissa made this Jamaican port city ground zero of the devastation seen across the Caribbean.

 Residents here say they have been living in a state of chaos the last three days since Melissa slammed into them as one of the most powerful category five storms ever recorded in the region. The fierce winds and storm surge that barrelled through here have decimated nearly everything, leaving roads unusable and a trail of destruction that has them increasingly desperate and isolated with no electricity or running water.

 Capsized boats lie kerbside. Brick buildings are split in half. Giant sheets of metal are twisted between tree branches. Vehicles sit in crumbled pieces. Residents who spoke to the BBC said they have seen no aid trucks in the area so far and described having to eat what food they can find in debris by the roads in the coastal town, nearly 150km (93 miles) west of the capital, Kingston.

 Others made their way inside battered supermarkets, taking what they could for themselves. Some, who climbed on top of one partially destroyed market, tossed food and bottles of water down below, where people gathered with arms outstretched. "We have to use whatever we see here, on the street and also in the supermarket," Demar Walker explained, sitting in a shaded area down the street from the store to escape the heat and 80% humidity.

 He said he and others had to climb into the market due to its roof caving in and took what they could. They tossed water and items to others also in need. "We didn't be selfish, we had to throw food to other people." Nearby, others told the BBC of a local pharmacy being looted in Black River, describing anarchy as people ran in and out carrying armfuls of drugs and alcohol.

 "I saw items covered in mud being hauled out," Aldwayne Tomlinson told the BBC. "At first, I thought the place was still open, but then I really got a second glance. "I heard a lady say: 'Mi need go get some alcohol.' That's when I knew they were looting the pharmacy as well." (BBC)