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CATEGORY 5 Hurricane Melissa made landfall in Jamaica yesterday, causing widespread flooding and infrastructural damage with vicious 185 mph winds. According to reports from Jamaica media houses, Prime Minister Andrew Holness has declared the country a ‘disaster area’. The Express spoke with one Jamaican resident, Perry Cummings Jr, yesterday via a WhatsApp exchange, who described tense hours as the hurricane moved across the island. “We’ve been getting heavy rain and wind since early morning, but thankfully, where we are. It’s not as bad as what we’re hearing from the eastern parishes. I am in St Catherine, but the parishes on the western side of the island, like Hanover, are experiencing the brute force of the hurricane. “I’ve seen posts from that side of the island, and it’s terrible. The Black River Market is totally destroyed, the Black River Hospital has also sustained some damage, and zinc is flying everywhere. Certain roads are impassable due to flooding, so it’s really bad in St Elizabeth,” said Cummings. He noted that the parish had still been struggling to recover from the impact of Hurricane Beryl last year. “That parish hasn’t really recovered from Beryl, so you can imagine how difficult this is for residents,” he added. Cummings said his area had been spared major flooding but was without electricity. “There’s no flooding where I am. We’re on a hill, so we don’t experience that. But many citizens are without power right now, including my parish. I’m using what’s left on my phone and hoping it comes back soon. We just want this to be over so we can start rebuilding. We want to begin to recuperate. We will build back,” he said. Cummings said he has lived through several hurricanes, but Melissa ranks among the strongest he has ever experienced. “Of course we had Beryl and a few other storms in the past. I can remember Charlie and Sandy, but they were not as impactful as Gilbert,” he said. “I was very small when Ivan came, but Melissa is matching Gilbert’s strength. As a matter of fact, they are saying Melissa is even stronger than Gilbert.” The Express also spoke with Trinidadian student Iyanu Small, who is currently at the UWI Mona Campus in Jamaica. She confirmed that all students who did not travel home to Trinidad are safe. “I spent the entire morning checking in with students. Everybody is inside and safe, and they have supplies,” Small said, noting that the north-eastern part of the island was not severely affected by Hurricane Melissa. The Jamaica government has urged citizens to remain indoors and to avoid flooded areas as emergency teams assess the impact of the storm. Early reports indicate power outages, downed trees, and blocked roadways in several parishes, particularly in the east, where the hurricane first made landfall. T&T groups organise assistance The American Chamber of Commerce (AmCham T&T), the Energy Chamber of Trinidad and Tobago, the Trinidad and Tobago Chamber of Industry and Commerce, and the Trinidad and Tobago Manufacturers Association have set up a coordinated relief effort for Jamaicans affected by Hurricane Melissa. A news release from the chambers said the initiative encourages businesses and individuals to contribute essential supplies or make financial donations to a specially established relief account. The funds will be used to procure and deliver priority items efficiently, in line with national needs identified by response agencies such as the Office of Disaster Preparedness and Management (ODPM). “The T&T private sector has always responded to disasters both locally and across the Caribbean. We are committed to best practices in post-disaster relief, ensuring that all support whether in supplies or financial assistance directly addresses the needs of affected communities,” the Joint Chambers said in a statement.” It said financial contributions allow relief agencies to purchase specific items at the right time, while donations of supplies such as bottled water, non-perishable food, bedding, cleaning items, and hygiene products will also be accepted at designated drop-off points. Drop-off locations include Web Source Company Ltd, 16 Trincity Business Park, Trincity, and Unicomer (Courts), Calcutta Settlement Road #1, Freeport, with security staff available to collect items. Businesses requiring assistance with transport can contact Adrian at Web Source via adrian@shipwebsource.com The relief account is jointly managed by the CEOs of the four Chambers, with all disbursements requiring unanimous agreement and reported to their respective boards. Donations can be made in either Trinidad and Tobago dollars (TTD) or US dollars (USD) through First Citizens Bank, Point Lisas, with details provided to ceo@energy.tt Also yesterday, president of aid organisation SEWA T&T Revan Teelucksingh told the Express the group is finalising logistics for a public appeal to assist those affected by Hurricane Melissa. He said SEWA T&T was focused on providing the most needed supplies in an efficient and organised manner.
