In brief
Five days post-Hurricane Melissa's catastrophic strike on Jamaica, residents of devastated communities, particularly in Westmoreland Parish, find themselves in urgent need of food, water, and assistance. With many roads blocked and basic services non-existent, local officials report a steep rise in fatalities, and frustrations grow as promised aid fails to arrive. Despite the dire circumstances, survivors exhibit remarkable resilience and hope for recovery, as international aid begins to trickle in.
Five days after Hurricane Melissa pummelled into western Jamaica with record force, residents in devastated communities along the coast are still desperately waiting for help.
Many of the roads are blocked by debris and people are isolated with little food, no power or running water, and no idea of when normalcy will return.
The government said on Saturday that at least 28 people in Jamaica have died since the hurricane hit as a monster category five storm with 185 mph (297km/h) sustained winds.
That is a near 50% jump in the death toll overnight, and the number could rise as officials clear their way into new parts of the island in the coming days.
Local official Dr Dayton Campbell told the BBC 10 of those deaths were in Westmoreland.
Westmoreland parish is believed to have the second highest number of unconfirmed deaths, after St Elizabeth to the south east. The eye of the storm hit somewhere between the two neighbouring parishes. At St Elizabeth an estimated 90% of homes have been destroyed.
A long stretch of road headed west into Westmoreland Parish winds through a graveyard of trees – stacks of branches and limbs, cracked and twisted, blanketing the landscape for miles. It is grim evidence of Hurricane Melissa's ferocity - it was the strongest storm to strike the Caribbean island in modern history.
Piles of debris are heaped on the parish's roadsides, next to battered buildings, shipping crates turned on their side and crowds of people wading through the destruction.
About 400,000 people in Jamaica were without power as of Friday, and an untold number more have no access to cell phone service or Wi-Fi, cut off from the outside world.
Jamaica's transportation minister Daryl Vaz announced on Saturday that more than 200 StarLink devices have been deployed across the island to help people access the internet. He addressed criticism the government has received for its response, saying there were several factors contributing to delays.
We don’t know what lies ahead, a police officer said, describing what he has seen as total devastation.
Despite the dire circumstances, survivors like Roy Perry and Robert Morris display a powerful resilience, stating, Can't give up. Not gonna give up, as foreign aid begins to arrive from the US and UK.
