The Jamaican Families Torn Apart by Hurricane Melissa

“The last thing I said to my sister, I called her and I said, ‘Sister, please be safe. Be safe.’ And I said, ‘I love you.’ And that was the last time.” These sisters have just returned to their home outside of Black River, Jamaica, days after a Category 5 hurricane destroyed their community and tore the family apart. “They said, ‘Let us make a chain.’” “Something like this.” ”You want to hold on one another.” “You want to hold on one another.” “My grandson, he was the one who taking us out because the water wasn’t up that much. So we was trying to escape.” Boreen Barrett was swept away by a blast of seawater as Hurricane Melissa made landfall. She was a mother of four. “Where was your sister’s body found?” “There, across the bush over there.” ”Was it like a wave that just came through?” “That’s when it swept her away.” At least 28 people are known to have died from the storm, but the full impact on people’s lives is far greater. Thousands are now displaced with little food and water, and aid has been slow to arrive. Just outside of Black River, we found Nicole Gowdie and her partner, Oliver Stewart, sheltering in their car along the road next to what was left of their house. They told us they barely survived. Just over a year ago, a Category 4 hurricane hit this same coast and communities were still recovering. This time, the need is more vast and more urgent as days pass for many stuck without basic necessities. The Jamaican government has been leading an international aid effort. The first supply convoy arrived in Black River on Nov. 1, and airdrops to more isolated communities are scheduled for the coming days.