Jamaica relief efforts continue in aftermath of Hurricane Melissa

Rescuers and aid workers fanned out across Jamaica on Saturday to distribute food and water and reach communities still isolated for four days. after Hurricane Melissa hit the island.

One of the most powerful hurricanes in the Atlantic to make landfall, Melissa has been blamed for at least 19 deaths in Jamaica, 31 in neighboring Haiti, and at least one death in the Dominican Republic. Melissa made landfall in southwest Jamaica on Tuesday as a Category 5 hurricane with maximum winds of 185 mph.

Health Minister Christopher Tufton acknowledged that Jamaica’s death toll was likely higher because many places are still difficult to access, but said it would be unwise to speculate.

Less than half of the island has communications and nearly 400 water systems were destroyed by the storm.

The U.S. military deployed three CH-47 Chinook helicopters to Jamaica on Friday for humanitarian and disaster relief efforts, with five more helicopters on the way.

According to Agence-France Presse, Jamaican authorities also announced plans to establish several field hospitals on Saturday, after several hospitals in western Jamaica were particularly hard hit by the storm.

“This facility will be fully equipped, including an operating room and other essential diagnostic equipment, as well as a few team members to support the local team,” Tufton said during a press briefing on Saturday, according to AFP, adding that officials expect the hospital to be operational within the coming week.

There were desperate scenes in Montego Bay, as residents queued for food, water and money. Many American tourists are still working to get home. The Gray Bull Rescue Foundation, a Florida-based nonprofit, found a way to rescue 341 U.S. citizens from two hard-hit Montego Bay resorts.

Essential relief is now arriving in hurricane-battered St. Elizabeth and Westmoreland, most of which have been cut off by fallen concrete poles and trees strewn across the roads.

But in some areas, people were forced to dip buckets into rivers to collect muddy water for daily use, while others drank coconut water and roasted breadfruit.

In Westmoreland, mangled metal sheets, broken wooden frames of houses and fragments of furniture littered the shoreline.

Social Security Minister Pearnel Charles Jr. was part of several convoys of emergency responders en route to deliver ready-to-eat meals, water, tarps, blankets, medicine and other necessities.

“The priority now is to get help to those who need it,” Charles Jr. said during a brief stop en route to Black River for the first time with long-awaited relief. Prime Minister Andrew Holness had declared Black River ground zero and said the town would have to be rebuilt.

The Jamaica Defense Force has set up a satellite disaster relief site at the Luana Community Center near Black River, where care packages are being sent to residents hit by the hurricane.

Many have been without vital supplies since Tuesday and quickly converged on a JDF truck as word spread that relief supplies were being distributed in the sweltering afternoon sun.

“Everyone is homeless right now,” Rosemarie Gayle said. “Thank you, thank you. I can’t thank you enough,” she said as she accepted a packet of rice, beans, sardines, powdered milk, cooking oil and other essentials.

Melissa left devastation in its wakesnapping power lines and toppling buildings, disrupting food and water distribution and destroying crop fields.

Satellite photographs showed the fishing village of White House in southwest Jamaica and the nearby town of Black River before and after Melissa arrived on the island. Each pair captures a once vibrant city reduced to dust and rubble.

Some people walked miles in search of basic necessities and to see loved ones, as more than 60% of the island remained without power. Helicopters dropped food into isolated communities.

“People are in shock and waiting for relief,” said Mike Bassett, World Vision’s national director of national emergency and humanitarian affairs, who visited the town of Santa Cruz in St. Elizabeth on Friday.

“The greatest needs are clean water, tarps for damaged roofs, canned proteins, hygiene and cleaning products,” he said.

On Saturday, the United Nations World Food Program received 2,000 boxes of emergency food aid shipped from Barbados, which will be distributed to shelters and the most affected communities in the St. Elizabeth region.

“They will meet the needs of 6,000 people for a week,” said Alexis Masciarelli, WFP communications officer.

Tufton also warned of the risk of increased mosquito numbers, waterborne diseases and food poisoning. “Please throw away the spoiled food,” he said.

A U.S. regional disaster response team was on the ground after being activated by Secretary of State Marco Rubio earlier this week, the U.S. Embassy in Jamaica said.

“The United States stands with Jamaica in its response to the impacts of the hurricane and remains prepared to quickly provide emergency relief,” he said.

Jamaica’s Minister of Water and Environment, Matthew Samuda, took to social media platform X users stepped in to help, pointing out where they had seen supplies.

Falmouth, a popular fishing spot on Jamaica’s north coast, suffered extensive damage, including flooding and razed buildings, Holness said Saturday.

“Our immediate priority is to restore electricity and telecommunications and ensure that essential services, including at Falmouth Hospital, are stabilized,” he said on X, adding that Jamaica would rebuild “stronger and wiser”.

Following the devastation, the Caribbean Catastrophe Risk Insurance Fund announced it would pay Jamaica a record $70.8 million.

This mechanism allows countries to pool their individual risks to provide affordable coverage against natural disasters. Payment will be made within 14 days, the group said on Friday.

Finance Minister Fayval Williams said on Thursday that the CCRIF insurance policy was just one part of the government’s financial plan to respond to natural disasters. She mentioned a contingency fund, a national reserve for natural disasters and a disaster bond.

Government officials said damage assessment was still underway.