Southern Trelawny communities plead for relief after Hurricane Melissa’s wrath

While national recovery efforts have largely focused on Jamaica’s western parishes, several communities in southern Trelawny say they’ve been left to fend for themselves after Hurricane Melissa.

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Residents from Lowe River, Wait-A-Bit, Stettin, and Ulster Spring—districts bordering Manchester—say they’ve been overlooked by local and international aid workers, despite facing some of the storm’s worst impacts.

“The hurricane passed right through here and caused a lot of damage,” said Dave, a farmer from Ulster Spring. “Most of this community is farmers, and as you can see, all the yam sticks are down. Everything has been blown away. There is a lot of crop loss.”

The eye of Hurricane Melissa, which made landfall as a Category 5 system, exited Jamaica through Trelawny, leaving behind widespread destruction. Yet, residents say that while neighboring parishes have seen visible relief operations, their communities have been largely overlooked.

Across southern Trelawny, the storm triggered landslides, toppled utility poles, and tore through homes and farmlands, leaving many displaced and without power. Major roadways remain blocked or eroded, isolating communities and slowing relief efforts.

In the small hillside community of Stettin, residents continue to clear debris from what used to be homes and shops. In nearby Lowe River, uprooted trees and downed power lines still lie across key thoroughfares, with little sign of coordinated assistance.

“I’m doing the best I can to save what can be saved and build back,” said Camille Sawyer, a resident of Ulster Spring who has been staying with relatives since her roof was blown away. “But we would need assistance to put back the roof and secure items for the kids.”

With agriculture as the region’s lifeline, the economic blow will be long-lasting. Fields are flattened, crops destroyed, and farmers now face the daunting task of rebuilding with little support.

“Farming is our livelihood,” another resident shared. “If we can’t get help soon, we won’t just be dealing with hurricane damage, we’ll be dealing with hunger.”

Nearly a week after the hurricane’s passage, broken roadways, collapsed homes, and scattered debris still tell the story of Melissa’s fury. Yet amid the hardship, there is an undeniable sense of determination. Residents say that while they await assistance, they are already working together to clear roads, salvage materials, and rebuild what they can.

“We’re not giving up,” Dave added. “We just need a little help to start over.”

As national relief operations ramp up, southern Trelawny’s residents hope their calls for help will be answered before isolation deepens an already heavy burden.