Scenes of devastation greeted residents of the Caribbean tourist hot-spot as they emerged red-eyed from a sleepless night, the sounds of the roaring winds and driving rains still pounding in their ears.

One man, named as Christopher Webley, of Gold Mine in Clarendon, died when his house caved in on him at the height of the hurricane which struck late Sunday, police said.

Jamaica was placed on a state of emergency late Sunday as Prime Minister Portia Simpson Miller announced security forces would be granted wider powers following reports of looting across the island.

But many were glad the island appeared to have been spared the worst of Dean's fury, which was gathering steam as it sped off the island towards Mexico's Yucatan peninsula set to turn into a rare category five hurricane.

East Kingston resident Shara Barnett told the Jamaica Gleaner that she and her family and neighbors were just glad to be alive.

"When the water started coming we run out and went into the house opposite and when we in the house, the water just come in a storm surge of about 50 feet (18 meters) and there were about 20 adults and five children in the house."

Streets in the capital Kingston were strewn with the debris left by the hurricane such as uprooted trees, planks of wood, and corrugated iron roofs.

Some roads were impassable, while in low-lying areas cars gingerly made their way through murky flood waters. In one place a boat had been torn from its mooring and lay among the ruins of a flattened home.

Communications with the island remained difficult Monday, with phone lines still down in most of the eastern areas which sustained the most damage.

But less than 12 hours after Hurricane Dean ravaged the island, it appeared things were returning to normal in the capital, while the main tourist areas of Montego Bay and Ocho Rios emerged relatively unscathed.

More than 3,000 people were still packed into some 140 shelters which were also being besieged by some people who had lost their homes, according to a statement from the Office of Disaster Preparedness and Emergency Management.

"We have distributed mattresses and other bedding equipment, flash lights, quantities of food, water and other supplies to the shelters," coordinator Denise Louise told The Gleaner.

Most of the island remained without electricity, the Jamaica Public Service said in a statement after shutting down the national power grid to protect it.

But water supplies were slowing returning to Kingston communities, and many residents were already out and about clearing up the debris from their yards.

Relief workers were also clearing roads leading to the Norman Manley International Airport in Kingston, and officials said limited flights would resume from the Sangsters International airport in Montego Bay later Monday.

Some tourists told AFP that witnessing a hurricane was a new experience, with some seeing it as a chance to party.

"There is a very sick side to us that wants to be in the middle of it. Who else from Ohio can say they survived a major hurricane," said Elizabeth Brown.

She had brought forward her Montego Bay wedding planned for Monday when she heard of the impending storm, and was spending her honeymoon at the hotel and monitoring the weather.

"There are five of us in my room drinking," she said late Sunday, adding the party was having "a blast."

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