The Aftermath of Hurricane Melissa; Jamaica Rebounds

Jamaica is now grappling with the reality that Hurricane Melissa successfully made landfall and clawed her way across the island. The savage hurricane breached the island’s southwestern border on Tuesday afternoon just before 12 noon, entering near New Hope, Westmoreland as a powerful Category 5 hurricane, with maximum sustained winds of 185 miles per hour.

The hurricane has gone down in history as the strongest to ever make landfall in Jamaica, causing widespread flooding, landslides, roadblocks and wind damage. The Police have now confirmed 19 deaths directly caused by the storm, as bodies were found in St. Elizabeth following the passage of Hurricane Melissa.

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Caribbean National Weekly understands that the parishes of St. Elizabeth, Hanover, St. James, Trelawny, Manchester and Westmoreland were all severely impacted, with St Elizabeth suffering most extensively. The eastern parishes were also affected, though to a lesser extent, as flood waters battered the shorelines of St. Thomas and Portland. The capital, Kingston as well as the more central parishes were greatly spared, but not totally without impact.

PAHO preparing a shipment of Hurricane relief to Jamaica

Prime Minister, the Most Honourable, Dr. Andrew Holness toured the island to assess the extent of the damage. Aerial shots of the hurricane ravaged, breadbasket parish, St Elizabeth, were shared on his Facebook page. The images were of a parish ravished by destructive winds and rainfall of unprecedented proportions. Residents have also flooded social media with pictures and images of the destruction in their parishes.

At least five major hospitals across the island are now severely damaged: Falmouth Hospital in Trelawny, Noel Holmes Hospital in Hanover, the Cornwall Regional Hospital in St. James, Savanna-la-Mar Public General Hospital in Westmoreland and the Black River Hospital. It is reported that the Black River Hospital was devastated, as it was hit by a powerful storm surges and extensive flooding. A number of homes in Black River, St. Elizabeth were submerged under water and in one instant, firefighters had to perform rescue operations during the hurricane to prevent deaths. Some residents were forced to seek refuge inside the Black River Police Station despite the fact that it too had been bulldozed by Melissa.

Meanwhile reports out of Alligator Pond, St. Elizabeth, are that three homes along the beach were taken by the sea and approximately 30 houses lost their roofs to the wind, while residents of one community called Coast Road are trapped due to heavy flood waters. This is the road that joins the Milk River and Alligator Pond communities.

With extensive power cut and little or no cell phone connectivity, family members of many St Elizabeth residents were anxious as they awaited news of survival. Videos of residents pleading for help have been making their rounds on social media. It is further reported that two major seafood restaurants, Little Ochi and Oswald Seafood, suffered widespread damage, which will require weeks or possibly months of repair. Communities such as Plowden, New Forest, Duff House, and Newton experienced unprecedented flooding with storm surges reaching ten to 16 feet.

A resident of Trelawny looks on as her house was reduced to rubble after Hurricane Melissa

In a brief interview with Bishop Aggrey Scott, head of the International Apostolic Ministry head quartered in Santa Cruz, St. Elizabeth, he expressed that while he is extremely grateful to the Almighty God for sparing his sanctuary from major damage, he is saddened by the devastation and homelessness due to flood waters and wind damage, which he is seeing in the neighbouring communities which his ministry serves. He informed Caribbean National Weekly News that he is currently seeking to assess the extent of the damage around him with a view to prioritizing the needs of the people through humanitarian work, as his ministry continues to serve those communities.

Prime Minister Andrew Holness on Wednesday sought to give hope to the nation, as he posted on his Facebook page, “Jamaica, we are strong, and we will get through this.” In another post he stated, “The devastation is truly heartbreaking, yet the spirit of the people remains unbroken”. He reassured the people of St. Elizabeth, that “This Government stands with the people of St. Elizabeth as we rebuild stronger than before.” In another post he stated, “The damage is great, but we are going to devote all our energy to mount a strong recovery”. The country has now commenced recovery efforts, and the Government of Jamaica has launched a website through which the rest of the world may assist. https://www.supportjamaica.gov.jm .

Patriotic Jamaicans across the diaspora have also started a number of relief support initiatives to aid the country’s recovery. Among those humanitarian organizations involved, is Helping Hands Ministry Jamaica, operating out of Florida, which is now receiving donations via the Treasure Coast Realty Group located at 145 N US Hwy 1, Ft Pierce, Florida.

Prior to her onslaught on Jamaica, Hurricane Melissa caused widespread flooding, landslides and fatalities in Haiti. She has, since departing the Jamaican shores, made landfall in Cuba as a category 3 hurricane, causing extensive damage to the island. She is projected also impact the Bahamas in the coming days.

Written by Keisha Ann Thomas