In the north coast parish of St. Ann, almost all residents are without power — and many of them woke up without a roof over their heads after Hurricane Melissa tore through Jamaica, downing trees, utility poles and anything in its path.
Fisherman George “Larry” Brown of the community of Priory said the morning was quiet on the day of the storm.
“Just a little rain,” the 68-year-old recalled.
But by 5:00 pm (2200 GMT) on Tuesday, the rain and wind gusts grew heavy and soon, he said, his roof peeled away.
“I just heard a sound, and it just started to tear off,” Brown recalled.
He described Melissa as the worst he’s ever experienced.
Hurricane Melissa smashed into Jamaica as a ferocious top-level storm, with sustained winds peaking at 185 miles (nearly 300 kilometers) per hour while drenching the nation with torrential rain.
Gilbert is no match to this,” Brown said, referring to the 1988 hurricane used by many Jamaicans as a benchmark for devastation.
In fact, Hurricane Melissa tied the 1935 record for the most intense storm ever to make landfall, according to an AFP analysis of meteorological data — on par with the Labor Day Hurricane that devastated the Florida Keys 90 years ago.
Brown’s neighbor Kayan Davis, a mother of three who said her roof lifted off sometime after 11:00 pm (0400 GMT), said she has been left temporarily homeless.
“I have no where to sleep… I am going to have to contact the authorities,” Davis said.
Marvin Thomas, another resident of Priory, suffered the same fate when a tree fell on his home around 8:00 pm (0100 GMT).
“The tree dropped… and the housetop started to demolish,” he said. “I had to run out and go to a friend’s home.”
Thomas, a 40 year-old janitorial services worker, said the challenge of finding money to begin picking up the pieces is daunting.
