TRELAWNY, Jamaica – Trelawny police were out in their numbers Wednesday as they worked to clear some of the wreckage caused by Hurricane Melissa in the parish.

A team of 30 police personnel, led by commanding officer for the parish, Superintendent Velonique Campbell, were observed with chainsaws and machetes removing fallen trees which inundated the roadways.

“We have been traversing the main thoroughfare and doing our assessment and we cam upon several blockages caused by fallen trees on the road,” Campbell said as her team removed a tree that had been blocking the Braco main road, resulting in a traffic build-up.

“We want to ensure that the roadway is kept clear so that aid and other supplies can reach citizens,” she added.

According to Campbell, the parish was devastated by the storm.

“Hurricane Melissa really had a devastating impact on the parish,” she said, adding that major infrastructure damage included “the hospital, parish council building, the infirmary, the police station [and] schools.

“It is wide range,” she said.

Among the schools damaged was the William Knibb Memorial High School, the alma mater of sprint legend Usain Bolt.

Campbell said flooding in the town posed a challenge to the police, causing them to having to resort to foot patrol.

“It’s a big space to cover and we are trying our best,” she said.

– Julian Richarson

**Video by Llewellyn Wynter**