MONTEGO BAY, St James — Residents of Catherine Hall and Westgreen here spent Wednesday trying to clear mounds of mud swept into their homes as Hurricane Melissa ravaged the city on Tuesday.

The rain and gale force winds associated with Melissa led to the Barnett and Pye rivers overflowing their banks, pushing mud into the surrounding communities.

One resident of Catherine Hall, who gave his name only as Devon, shared his terrifying experience with the Jamaica Observer.

“The whole of it flood out, everything flood out,” lamented Devon as he pointed out that nothing was safe from the raging waters.

According to Devon, he was fortunate enough to get to an upstairs section of the building which possibly spared his life. He said he had to jump through a window and make his way upstairs to escape the rising waters.

“The water that was in the house was taller than me and you; nobody slept in the house last night,” he told the Observer.

He said the flood water affected all his furniture and belongings before receding during the course of Wednesday after Melissa had moved beyond the shores of Jamaica.

Another resident of Catherine Hall, who did not wish to be named, was seen helping his neighbours clean up their properties. He claimed that more than 800 properties in that section of Montego Bay were affected, plus several others in Westgreen.

A downed utility pole in Montego Bay, St James on Wednesday.

Catherine Hall and Westgreen are between the two rivers, and the heavy downpour from Melissa made life very difficult for the residents.

An Observer news team visited Catherine Hall and was greeted by large piles of mud as people sought to clean their houses. But they faced a major challenge: “We have no water to clean the house, we need [the] fire brigade or something,” said Devon.

Inside the community a pipe was found that offered a little of the precious resource, and several residents lined up to fill bottles, wash food items, and clean themselves of the mud.

One female resident told the Observer that she did not know the source of the water, but was glad for it at the time.

In addition to the mud in their homes, several residents of Catherine Hall were faced with the challenge of the flood water moving their vehicles from where they were parked.

One car was seen lodged against another, while a trailer was seen stuck against a median with debris, a demonstration of how strong the currents were from the flood waters.

A resident claimed that the water associated with Melissa was so high on Tuesday that it had covered his Toyota Prado motor vehicle, leaving him unsure if he will be able to drive it.

The pressure of the flood waters linked to Melissa was also evident at the National Water Commission’s Bevin Avenue location.

There was also damage to the walls at Catherine Hall Entertainment Centre, which was recently painted with images of some Jamaica’s most famous musicians.

Additionally, the walls at the MegaMart complex and Grand Depot Supermarket were damaged in the general area.

The 49-year-old Herbert Morrison Technical High School was not spared the hurricane’s wrath, as the wind associated with it ripped off sections of roof at the facility on Alice Eldemire Drive in the city.

A section of the road adjacent to the school is now compromised following the wind and flood waters.

Most of the utility poles along Alice Eldemire Drive were down when the Observer visited the area on Wednesday.

Residents access the only piped water found in Catherine Hall, Montego Bay, on Wednesday following Hurricane Melissa.

Residents of Catherine Hall in Montego Bay, St James, cleaning the mud dumped into their homes by Hurricane Melissa on Tuesday.