Virginia Task Force 1 is returning home after spending close to two weeks in Jamaica following the aftermath of Hurricane Melissa.

A relief flight carrying tens of thousands of pounds of medical supplies and other aid departed Miami International Airport on Monday, part of a growing effort across South Florida to assist Jamaica as the island recovers from Hurricane Melissa,

Officials in Jamaica say that Hurricane Melissa ripped the roofs off 120,000 structures when it struck last week, affecting some 90,000 families in the island’s western region

In Jamaica, survivors of Hurricane Melissa describe losing everything as the storm's fury lays bare the island's new climate reality.

Rita Hilton, who has lived in Jamaica for 60 years, works with the McLaughlins and helps farmers export their crops. She called the hurricane “the most intense, horrific storm” she has experienced. Hilton was airlifted to Kingston, the country’s capital, this week after seven days in her isolated, torn-down home.

Jamaica’s peak tourism season is one month away, and officials in the hurricane-ravaged nation are rushing to rebuild from the catastrophic Category 5 storm that shredded the island’s western region.

Carnival Paradise will visit Ocho Rios next week as a port stop, the first Carnival ship to return to Jamaica after Hurricane Melissa.