Melissa Aftermath: 19 dead, hundreds left homeless as Jamaica battles widespread destruction 

Jamaica: Ninety-two-year-old Eugine Nembhard weathered Hurricane Melissa in her board house in Lacovia, St Elizabeth. Two days on, she sits amid the wreckage of her home, uncertain about what comes next. St Elizabeth remains one of the hardest-hit parishes, with eight confirmed deaths so far as search and rescue efforts continue.

Communities across Jamaica are struggling in the wake of Category 5 Hurricane Melissa with thousands living without power, communication and with roads washed away.

Information Minister Dr Dana Morris Dixon informed that 19 individuals across the island have been confirmed dead following the passage of Hurricane Melissa on Tuesday. She said that eight bodies were recovered in St Elizabeth, nine in Westmoreland while two in St James, including a child. She further added that search and rescue teams are still in the disaster areas.

Meanwhile, a family was spotted parked along the roadside in Priory, St Ann, trying to access internet service to contact loved ones. They travelled to Jamaica for a wedding but were unable to leave before the Category 5 hurricane made landfall. The family reported having no water or electricity.

St Ann community in Jamaica was among the parishes affected by the eye of Hurricane Melissa. Priory’s famous pudding man described the long, frightening hours he spent inside his shop as Hurricane Melissa lashed the community. “It’s like a lady having a baby. You want that last moment to finish… and it’s like it’s forever. It couldn’t finish. Eight o’clock, nine o’clock, ten o’clock, twelve o’clock, one o’clock we are hearing the same wooing and singing.” 

In spite of losing parts of his roof, he extended his gratitude for a nearby hardware owner who stepped in with bolts and roofing so that he could reopen and serve hot meals to the locals in need.

Another heartbreaking story comes from St Elizabeth as Nicole Gowdie and her partner, Oliver Stewart, anxiously awaited nightfall, fearful of what might come as they remained exposed in the aftermath of Hurricane Melissa. The couple, who are residents of Darkis in St Elizabeth, have already fallen victim to looters since the storm’s passage on Tuesday. By Thursday afternoon, both of them stood surveying what little they had left and wondering when help would arrive.

It was chaos and confusion as anxious relatives, friends, and volunteers tried to reach parts of St Elizabeth where many residents remain without basic necessities after the passage of Hurricane Melissa.

Crane Road, one of the alternative routes recommended by Member of Parliament for St Elizabeth Southwest, Floyd Green, to access Black River, turned into a traffic nightmare as vehicles became stuck in mud and police struggled to restore order.

Not only this, but over 170 communities across the six most devastated parishes across the island have been moderately or severely impacted by the passage of Hurricane Melissa. These communities are affected by flooding, land slippage, infrastructure destruction and much more which was the Hurricane left in its wake.