Jamaicans wake to devastation as hurricane causes floods, power cuts and splits city in two
The normal music that accompanies Jamaican life is quiet this morning as many people wake up without electricity.
About three-quarters of the island has no electricity, and much of the west side is under water; Houses were destroyed by strong winds after Hurricane Melissa tore through the island with devastating force.
As heavy winds and rain fell throughout the night, a local official said the destruction resembled an “apocalyptic movie scene”.
Due to the loss of communications, the true extent of the disaster is unknown. Prime Minister Andrew Holness declared the island a “disaster area” late on Tuesday, warning of “devastating impacts” and “significant damage” to hospitals, homes and businesses.
Although no deaths have yet been confirmed, Montego Bay mayor Richard Vernon told the BBC his first task at dawn would be to “check everyone is alive”.
Before the hurricane made landfall, St. Trees had already been removed in St. Catherine. [Getty Images]
Hurricane Melissa, the strongest storm to hit Jamaica in modern history, ripped through the country on Tuesday, leaving devastation in its wake.
At its peak, the hurricane sustained winds of 298 km/h (185 mph); This was stronger than Hurricane Katrina, which devastated New Orleans in 2005 and killed 1,392 people.
“It looked like a scene from an apocalypse movie,” an MP in western Jamaica told Kingston-based journalist Kimone Francis of The Jamaica Gleaner.
Francis described the night as “stressful” and “intense”, marked by incessant high winds and rain.
“You don’t have a connection. You can’t talk to the people you normally talk to,” he told the BBC World Service’s Newsday programme.
Francis said floodwaters rose to the roofs of two-story houses in Jamaica’s central neighborhoods.
An unnamed woman told the BBC: “Water is coming from the roof of my house. I’m not well.”
Although no deaths have been confirmed, Jamaica’s prime minister told CNN he feared “there may be some loss of life.” He said the damage was widespread, affecting hospitals, schools, homes and businesses.
[BBC]
The south-west area of St Elizabeth is “under water” and at least three families in the Black River area are trapped in their homes, local government minister Desmond Mckenzie said on Tuesday afternoon.
“Rescue teams are having difficulty reaching them due to dangerous conditions,” he told a news conference.
Verna Genus was sheltering from the storm in her four-bedroom home in the Carlisle village of St Elizabeth when the cyclone ripped off her zinc roof.
The 73-year-old vegetable farmer was at home with his sons and baby grandson when the tornado reached the area.
Verna lost communication due to downed power lines. However, his sister, June Powell, who lives in England, told the BBC what happened.
“He was crying on the phone,” June said, adding: “You’re huddled inside, then you look up, then the roof is gone. I’ve never heard him like that; he was wailing, ‘we’re all done’.”
He anxiously waits for communication networks to be re-established so he can talk to his sister.
Known as Jamaica’s breadbasket, St Elizabeth produces most of the island’s products. Many farmers will struggle to recover financially as crops are flooded and fields destroyed.
Headwinds damaged homes in Portmore on Monday as people prepared before the storm arrived [EPA]
Montego Bay on the north coast, the heart of Jamaica’s tourism industry and home to its main airport, will also take time to get back on its feet. This hurricane devastated the Jamaican economy.
Mayor Vernon said that the city of Montego was divided in two due to flood waters. He told BBC Breakfast: “When the wind died down it started to rain very heavily, causing major flooding throughout the city. One side of the city is now cut off from the other as the roads are flooded.”
His immediate concern, he added, was simple: “Check if everyone is alive.”
The storm shook people in rural Jamaica. Tamisha Lee, president of the Jamaica Rural Women Producers Network, said: “Right now I’m seeing heavy rain, high winds, lots of things flying everywhere and trees uprooted. There’s no electricity. I feel anxious and nervous. The damage will be huge.”
Hurricane Melissa intensified at a rarely seen pace, meteorologists said, and its rapid strengthening was driven by abnormally warm Caribbean waters, part of a broader trend linked to climate change.
The storm had reached Category 5 intensity when it hit Jamaica; The wind was strong enough to tear the roofs of concrete houses, uproot trees and break power poles.
Health officials even issued a crocodile alert, warning that floodwaters could drive the reptiles into residential areas.
The storm brought terror and uncertainty for thousands of tourists caught on the island.
[BBC]
“I’ve never heard of anything like this,” said Pia Chevallier of Cambridge, who traveled to Jamaica with her 15-year-old son on Saturday.
Speaking to BBC Radio 5 Live from her dark hotel room, she said: “The glass in the windows and terrace doors was shaking. Even though they were closed, the doors sounded like they were being slammed. It was horrible.”
He added: “There’s debris everywhere; palm trees, coconuts, branches, everywhere. Big palm trees are up there with all their roots. The winds are so strong.”
Wayne Gibson, a British tourist from Kent who was holidaying in Ocho Rios on the north coast with his wife and two teenage daughters, told BBC Radio 4’s Today program they were sheltering in a shared lounge.
Kyle Holmes, from Bolton, who was visiting Lucea in the north-west, described the hotel as a “disaster zone” and said he had no idea when they would be able to return home.
Hurricane Melissa reached Cuba early Wednesday morning, leaving Jamaica paralyzed and silent. Although it has since weakened to a Category 3 hurricane, it remains strong with wind speeds in excess of 200 km/h (124 mph).
Jamaica has a catastrophe bond (a sort of insurance for the country) that will get people back on their feet, but the problem is what is done in the meantime.
Additional reporting by Gabriela Pomeroy
