Copyright caymancompass
Jamaicans in Cayman were desperately trying to reach loved ones and taking stock of the human and financial cost of Hurricane Melissa Thursday as reports of the extent of the devastation trickled through. The southwest of the island bore the brunt of the damage, with St. Elizabeth parish and Westmoreland devastated as record-breaking winds tore down buildings and ripped the roofs off homes. With cell towers and communications infrastructure demolished and roads cut off, friends and family in Cayman and further afield waited anxiously to hear from loved ones. It wasn’t until Simone Ebanks, a cleaner in Cayman, finally reached relatives in Black River Thursday that she knew her young children were safe. Three of her children, aged 15, six and three, were sheltering with her sister-in-law when the storm ripped off the roof. The family were forced to evacuate the home in hurricane force winds. Now they are taking shelter in an unfinished home that Simone and her husband Odane are in the process of building. “That’s where everyone took refuge, even uncles and other family. They’re all cooped up right there – no light, no water, I don’t even know if they have food.” She said the children didn’t understand what was going on. “They are bawling themselves to sleep. I wish I could get them out of there, because the situation is not good at all. If they were here with me, I could relax my mind and start to make a plan to rebuild.” She and Odane have six children in Jamaica, including three who were born in Cayman. She said it has been a stressful few days trying to learn if they are safe. Even on Thursday she was back at work, trying to get messages to her children and her mother, in between shifts. “My main objective right now is to gather some funds so as soon as the road clear, I can go get the kids.” She hopes to bring the youngest children to Cayman to be with her in the short term as Black River rebuilds. Damage picture still unfolding Even 48 hours after the storm had passed, the full picture of the damage to life and property in Jamaica remained unclear. Aerial images from drone cameras showed buildings levelled in St Elizabeth and roofs ripped off most of the buildings. Valerie Robinson, a cook at Nourish cafe in West Bay, scrolled through videos and images on her phone as she described how her families’ homes had been destroyed. She said she had spoken to one of her sons in the White Hill area on Wednesday. “He has no roof. He told me ‘mummy, there’s not even a hill’. Everywhere is destroyed. Only three houses still have a roof.” Robinson has 13 brothers and sisters, most of whom still live in Black River and the surrounding area. Her 18-year-old son lives in her home in Galleon Beach. The area was evacuated before the storm hit and the home sustained severe damage. She said her husband, Owen, had tried to get a flight to Kingston, Thursday, but had been advised not to go because the road to St Elizabeth was impassable. He will likely go out this weekend and stay for several months to help fix peoples homes. “He has a lot of people to help,” she said. The wider family is part of a big farming community growing yams, peanuts and pumpkins and yellow peppers in an area known as the ‘breadbasket of Jamaica’. “My family are well,” she said. “They got hit hard but they can’t wait to get up. St Elizabeth people are like that. You knock them, they are not going to lie down they are going to get up and come back stronger.” Going home to rebuild Another Black River native who had hoped to be on the plane to Kingston, Thursday, was Robert Nicholas, who had hoped to get back to be with his wife and son and assess the damage to his home and car wash business in St Elizabeth. But was told he would not be able to reach the parish, even by motorbike. “I have to wait till they tell me it is clear to come.” He moved to Cayman in 2004 to help the island rebuild in the aftermath of Hurricane Ivan. As a partner in a construction company Rock Solid Builders, he now wants to lend his skills to help his own country recover from an equally devastating storm. “I’m going back to Jamaica to rebuild my place,” he added. News of the extent of the damage filtered through Thursday as family members found pockets of cell phone coverage or got access StarLink phones. In some of the worst hit areas, the cell towers were flattened, making communication impossible. Captain Larry Burrowes, a Jamaican fisherman, tried to keep friends in Cayman updated using his satellite phone on his boat. He was out deep-sea fishing in waters around Honduras when the storm hit. He spoke to the Compass, Thursday, as his boat approached Black River. “Boy this place is destroyed,” he said. “The only way I can describe it, is it’s like Gaza. “The roads, the buildings, the port house, the big church, all of these buildings… the supermarkets, the bakery – everything is just destroyed.” He said he had been several hundred miles away, at sea, when the storm hit. When he returned to Black River, he was unable to access the port and there were stricken vessels and debris in the river, making the path uncertain. He sent his crew ashore on a lifeboat and stayed with the vessel off the coast. “I am looking at a place here that some houses used to be, and you can’t even make out that there was ever a house there,” he said. Later, when he managed to get on land, he sent us this video of the town of Black River. “It is really a chaos. Every single store is almost demolished. The place is in a really bad state, I don’t know when Black River will ever return to what it was. A lot of people need help. Ninety percent of the homes are damaged.” Waiting for news Back in Cayman, Camalea Thomas, was still waiting for news of her family, Thursday. The cleaner who has lived in Cayman for eight years, said she believed they were safe, but was desperate to speak to her seven-year-old daughter, who stays with her mother. “I am trying over and over again to reach them, but I can’t get through. There is a lot of anxiety, a lot of anxiousness. “We don’t know if they’re safe. We don’t know if they are wet, we don’t know if they are warm, we don’t know if the kids are okay. We don’t know if they have food. We don’t know if they are totally flooded. We are basically just don’t know anything at the moment,” she said. Sherry-Ann Smith, deputy chair of a private sector relief effort spearheaded by former Premier McKeeva Bush, has been working to manage donations and connect families with information coming out of Jamaica. The relief co-ordination group had already received multiple donations by press time Thursday and a meeting was being held Thursday evening to coordinate aid. Bush said a special account has been set up to receive monetary donations from individuals, churches, businesses, civic groups and the general public. All financial contributions will go directly toward supplies, transport and targeted relief support for affected communities. “Every contribution, large or small, will make a meaningful difference. We thank you in advance for your generosity, compassion, and willingness to stand together in support of Jamaica during this critical time. Jamaica is our family and together we will help them rebuild,” he said. Ways to help The Cayman Islands Red Cross launched its appeal for financial support to help those affected by Hurricane Melissa. Cayman’s Red Cross is working with the Jamaican Red Cross, the Cayman Islands Government and other key partners to co-ordinate relief efforts. Private sector hurricane relief fund – Donations may be made to: Cayman National Bank, Jamaica Hurricane Relief Fund, CI Checking Account: 011-15049 The HSA Blood Bank issued an urgent request for emergency blood to be sent to Jamaica. People can register to give blood at www.bloodbank.ky The Adventist Development and Relief Agency (ADRA) is collecting relief items such as food, sanitary supplies and water which can be dropped off at the George Town Seventh Day Adventist Church. Funds can be donated via Adracayman.org US-based Catholic Relief Services is seeking donations to support families in Haiti and Jamaica via its Latin America and Caribbean Emergency Fund.
