What the Storm Left Behind
A visit with Christadelphian families in Jamaica after Hurricane Melissa, reveals both the damage left behind and the efforts to support recovery.
Read Time: 3 minutes
What we noticed most during our first visit to Jamaica after Hurricane Melissa was actually what was missing. The eye of the Category 5 storm cut a path south to north across the island, leaving breathtaking damage behind. Everywhere we looked, there was empty space where some normal, everyday thing used to be. Gaping steel frames that had once held billboard posters. Utility poles, jutting out at odd angles, lacked power lines. Whole hillsides of trees stripped in their entirety of leaves. Bare tree limbs—a common enough sight in a temperate climate—are truly jarring in the tropics. Instead of leaves, trees bore pieces of zinc sheet roofing wrapped around their trunk by the wind. Other majestic trees lay sprawled on the ground, felled by the storm’s power. It took roofs and destroyed houses and furniture along with it. Our travels took us through Black River, where the storm made landfall. We could barely believe the devastation we saw—nor the strength of the people who have picked up and carried on with their lives in its midst simply because they have no other choice.
Life is hard enough in Jamaica. Now, so many are living under tarps, jammed with multiple family members into a section of their house they’re fortunate is still standing. In many areas, power has not yet been restored, so they’ve already spent months without refrigeration, fans for cooling, or light in the dark nights. In isolated areas, it may take several more months before the lights are restored. Depending on who you talk to, the government either doesn’t care and is doing a terrible job of providing aid and restoration, or it does care and is taking time to conduct a methodical assessment. Either way, the people of Jamaica have a long road ahead of them to recovery.
The purpose of our trip was to visit believers in the areas most directly impacted by the storm to assess the damage they sustained and determine how to assist them going forward. We also delivered a care package to each one of them to assure them of the love of their worldwide community. They’re all safe and well, praise God, though the same cannot be said for all of their homes. We started with a trip to Argyle Mountain, exclaiming all the way there about the damage, the lack of giant bamboo, the massive house on the hill no one knew existed before Melissa tore away all the thick foliage surrounding it. Our first stop was to see Sis. Maxine, who lost half of her home when a palm tree crashed through her children’s bedrooms. Many houses in Jamaica are built from a combination of concrete block and wooden boards, and it was invariably the wooden rooms and zinc sheet roofs that suffered the worst damage. This result was the case for Maxine. Two daughters and a granddaughter now share a room with Maxine and her husband, while their adult son sleeps on a mattress in an unfinished bathroom. Her older daughter is now unemployed as the hotel where she worked remains closed due to storm damage. They have no power, school is closed for the foreseeable future for the little granddaughter, and water is brought into the community by tanker, which they then carry by the bucket load up to their home. Life is very much on hold for this family.
We then stopped to see elderly Sis. Janetta, who also lost part of her home. Her roof was ripped away during the storm, leaving her praying desperately, huddled in a corner, exposed to the lashing rain and fearsome winds. As we traveled, everyone was keen to talk about the horrific event they’d lived through. Despite hurricanes being a frequent occurrence in Jamaica, no one had seen anything like Melissa, and the trauma of it will stay with them for a long time to come.
Our journey also took us to Broughton and Round Hill, rural communities where Christadelphians have long resided. Half of the home of our Sis. Jennifer in Broughton was destroyed, but thankfully, the damage in both places was far less than we had feared, given their proximity to the eye of the storm. We’ve returned home with a solid picture of who needs help with rebuilding, and we’re working on the next steps to move forward with this.
If you’ve donated since the storm, thank you. Even the brothers and sisters who sustained only minimal damage are finding that food, in particular, is considerably more expensive now. With your help, CBMC can work with CBMJ to support the individual brothers and sisters with their basic needs while things slowly return to normal.
You can donate at the CBMA/C website if you are moved to do so. The believers in Jamaica are thankful for all your love, care, and prayers, and for the good hand of our God upon them. They truly believe he preserved their lives during this storm.
Nathan, Antonia and Dave Giordano,
CBMC Links for Jamaica