St. Elizabeth Families Recount Hurricane Melissa’s Devastation and Their Journey of Resilience

Hurricane Melissa, at Category Five strength, has severely impacted the majority of residents in Black River, St. Elizabeth.

Among those adversely affected is seven-year-old Layla Mullings, who conveys the devastation of her family home in Luana through drawings – one showing their house before the hurricane, the other capturing its ruin after the powerful cyclone swept across Jamaica on October 28.

Hurricane Melissa’s passage was equally harrowing for Layla’s stepsister, Deandre Fowler, one of this year’s top Primary Exit Profile (PEP) performers, who earned a placement score of 382.7 and secured a place at The Hampton School.

Deandre, the 2025 JN Foundation Parish Scholar for St. Elizabeth, tells JIS News that the hurricane scared her.

“There was a lot of water… the house was flooding and everyone was panicking… . It was just chaos,” she tells JIS News.

Layla’s biological father and stepfather to Deandre, Maurice Mullings, a Fixed Asset Inventory Officer at Black River Hospital, describes the ordeal as “six terrible hours of holding on to the windows to stop the wind from ripping them away”.

“The ceiling was coming down and we were pushing out water. At one point, the yard was flooded, and water came up to my chest. When we came out and saw the damage, and came to the Black River Hospital, the future looks bleak for us… in terms of our equipment, saving lives and offering our services,” he says.

JIS News accompanied the family and representatives of the Ministry of Labour and Social Security to assess the damage sustained at the Hospital and to deliver essential supplies for staff and patients.

Notwithstanding the ordeal, Mr. Mullings expresses gratitude – for safety, for family, and for survival.

“I am thankful for life. I have a co-worker with 19 of them living in one room, because everyone is homeless. Compared to persons like those, we are thankful that we can be up and about,” he says.
Black River resident, Jerselyn Rowe, shares that she was not alone during Hurricane Melissa – she was surrounded by her daughters, sister, niece, and granddaughter.

“I cried. It was crazy, believe me. But you have to give God thanks for life. The top of my house is gone and I am just living in the decked section. Some of the awnings are gone and a piece of my wall got hit off. Some people died during the storm, but I just want everyone to look up to God, because he is the author and finisher,” she says.

Director of Implementation and Operations and Chairman of Disaster Preparedness at Food For The Poor, Nakhle Hado, led on-the-ground distribution efforts. Volunteers, directors, and residents formed a human chain to pass water, food, and care items along.

“We are part of the national team. We are members of the Humanitarian Assistance Committee under the National Disaster Risk Management Council. Our role is to actually assess the damage and respond with humanitarian assistance. We needed to come and take a look… to understand and to determine how we would craft a response. We also came with Starlink so people could connect with persons,” he says.

The reality confronting Black River residents reverberates across Santa Cruz, Holland, Lacovia, and Luana – communities within St. Elizabeth united by quiet resilience and shared challenges. What is needed now is not only support in cash and kind but care – sustained, dignified, and deeply human.

To support ongoing relief efforts, visit supportjamaica.gov.jm and stay tuned to official communication channels for volunteer opportunities.