Copyright jamaica-gleaner
Unlike Hurricane Beryl last year, Hurricane Melissa did not wreak widespread destruction on the fishing village of Rocky Point in Clarendon. However, having fled Pedro Cays ahead of this week's storm, one fisherman had to fight the monster on land. As he recounted his experience to The Gleaner on Wednesday, Jesse Samuels’ broad smiles and frequent laughter belied the fear he felt as the ferocious winds lifted the roof above his head and flood waters threatened his existence. The father of five was alone at home and, though he had taken steps to secure the structure, it was no match for the Category 5 winds. “It was a horrible day inuh, because mi inside there and is only a fisherman coulda cross it, yeah man is only a fisherman could cross it. But mi say mi still nah give up, mi face it. "Mi just see di ting start lift up and zinc start fly over and mi head pan di better side. One side come off first, suh mi head to di other side weh a doan hear nuh hackling but this side was just like throwing dandimite man. Buff bap, buff bap, bap, bap, bap.” Losing his roof was not the only problem Samuels faced as the flood water kept rising, threatening to invade his home. “Yesterday (Tuesday), the whole place full a water, you nuh. One a di time a deh suh mi get bummy, you nuh, 'cause mi a say if it come from top and it come from underneath, is not a good sign. When mi look, mi see it a run come to the road wid one old fridge inna it a float and mi say, 'Oh, Jah Almighty, what going on yah now?' And mi say anyhow mi see it cover, mi ah guh run come outta di house because dat mean di sea a come. But it come as high, but it neva cover.” With over 25 years of experience as a fisherman, Samuels told The Gleaner, Tuesday’s onslaught was unlike anything he had experienced on the sea. “It was a strong half hour because I was getting the weather from in the morning you nuh. But it never dat strong until the 3 o’clock hours and when night coming a piece a breeze come across but a just Faada work.” Hundreds of Jamaicans live for long stints on Pedro Cays, depending on the sea for their survival, but ahead of the storm the Jamaican authorities urged them to evacuate, with many ignoring the warning. However, after a two-week stint, Samuels left Pedro Cays almost a week before the hurricane made landfall in Jamaica. “Well, dem a di careless one. I come from the Wednesday before the hurricane. Well, as weh mi say, nuh weh like yard. Well, I neva even wait fi say weh dem a say, me just get up and cut and say a yawd mi a guh.” However that experience has done nothing to deter Samuels from returning to the sea and he was in the throes of preparing his instruments. “Mi still a rig up fi guh a sea right now, suh mi cyah even watch dat right now. Mi just haffi wait until betta come but, as weh mi sah, is just Jah mek dem (the boat motors) stand up pan dem two foot because, if dem did fall, maybe is a bigger problem same way because water woulda get inside a dem said way. But hopefully everything work the right way. :I feel I’m going sea tomorrow (Thursday). Pedro Cay because mi hear say dung deh mash up as well but chu mi have a lot of things over there mi still haffi guh mek a look to see if any fish pots leave, suh it just leave to the Faada now.” karen.madden@gleanerjm.com
