‘Catastrophic Is a Mild Term’: Jamaica Reels from Hurricane Melissa’s Devastation

🌀Hurricane Melissa left a trail of death and destruction across the Caribbean — and 🇯🇲Jamaica took a direct, devastating hit. The 🌀Category 5 hurricane tore through the island Tuesday with winds reaching 185 mph, one of the strongest storms ever recorded in the Atlantic.

According to The Associated Press, in St. Elizabeth parish, a landslide blocked the main roads in Santa Cruz, leaving streets turned to mud pits as residents tried to sweep floodwater from their homes. Roofs were ripped off buildings, including a high school that was serving as a public shelter.

“I never see anything like this before in all my years living here,” resident Jennifer Small said.

More than 25,000 Jamaicans were sheltering in government-run facilities Wednesday as relief efforts began. “Recovery will take time, but the government is fully mobilized,” Prime Minister Andrew Holness said in a statement. “Relief supplies are being prepared, and we are doing everything possible to restore normalcy quickly.”

But on the ground, conditions remained dire. Black River, a coastal town of 5,000 in southwestern Jamaica