Manchester Small Farmer Focused on Replanting

Less than two weeks since the passage of Hurricane Melissa and Leroy Blake, a small farmer from Whitby district in Williamsfield, Manchester, was on his farm, cleaning and clearing fallen trees and other debris from the two-acre property.

He was also seeing what could be salvaged from his round leaf yam crop, which had taken a beating from the high winds associated with Hurricane Melissa.

Then, he would begin the process of replanting.
He would have been out in the field earlier, but he had to attend to his roof, which blew off during the hurricane.

For Mr. Blake, who also raises cows and goats, enough time has passed for him to mourn his losses. It is now time to replant the land.

“Dem [other farmers] siddung a wait on help, but mi can’t do that. Mi lose bout 1,500 head a yam. Dem blow down. Dis ya weh mi a dig now is about 300 [heads],” Mr. Blake told JIS News, when a team from the Ministry of Labour and Social Security stopped at his home on Thursday (November 6).

The Ministry was conducting door-to-door assessments, issuing care packages to residents, and informing them about assistance that is available through the Ministry.

From his yams alone, Mr. Blake estimates that he could have profited around $15,000 per week or more going into the Christmas season. Now his only bet is on his animals.

Mr. Blake lost almost half of the roof of his house during the passage of the hurricane, which made land on October 28.

“The experience was powerful. Inside a di house mi deh, and when di zinc fly off and mi see water a come in, mi come outa di house and go next door. It blow weh suddenly pan mi, because it did a hold up wid di wind, but then, it eventually tek off,” he said, recalling the harrowing experience.

Amidst it all, Mr. Blake is extremely grateful that none of his livestock died.

“I give thanks,” he simply said.

Ministry of Labour and Social Security Parish Manager for Manchester, Audrey Royal, who led the team, told JIS News that while the western parishes were most severely impacted by the hurricane, the needs in Manchester were also great.

“We have about six different teams with us today doing damage assessment and looking at what has happened to each house. We are also providing some support with tarpaulins, mattresses, etc.” Ms. Royal told JIS News.

She noted that the farming community suffered major damage and loss of crops and livestock.

“Whitby [where we are], is one of the hardest hit areas in Manchester. It is a farming area, so apart from the house damage, a lot of persons have lost their income,” she pointed out.

For more information on how to access assistance, individuals may contact the Labour Division at 1(876) 922-9500-17 or the Security Division at 1(876) 922-8000-13.