Dear Editor,

February 17, 2025 — the spirit of the Lord showed me devastation.

I woke up out of the dream/vision with great trembling and crying. My heart was pounding. I did an almost six-minute video to share on my WhatsApp status, but it was too long, so I later did an abbreviated version.

What seemed like a tsunami happened. Waters inundated everywhere. People went missing suddenly. It was an unprecedented happening. I recalled sharing that we were not ready for what was coming. It was incomparable to any vivid memory I had of any tropical storm or hurricane I had witness since Ivan in 2004.

Fast-forward to Hurricane Melissa, which battered many sections of our sweet Jamaica. She started off very slowly and had us in panic for days. Many people had even eaten off their snacks while waiting for the storm. Both local and foreign meteorologists had warned us to take this hurricane very seriously as the effects would be horrible. And we are now seeing the apocalyptic aftermath — parts of St Elizabeth, St Ann, Trelawny, Hanover, and St James are in complete ruins. The images are heartbreaking.

How does one move on from this?

Last year after Hurricane Beryl I titled my opinion piece ‘Long recovery awaits’. What am I to say after Melissa? Lives have been lost. Houses have been destroyed. Crops and livestock have been swept away. Businesses, hotels, hospitals, and schools did not escape the onslaught of Miss Melissa.

It is a depressing time for many. I imagine many are confused about their next steps? How do they begin to put the pieces together? Imagine seeing the life that you spent years to build crumble.

Importantly, also, some people are asking: Why me? They are questioning why they were ‘punished’ so severely. It is definitely a time when faith is being tried. Like David in Psalm 42:3, their hearts are saying, “Day and night I have only tears for food, while my enemies continually taunt me, saying, ‘Where is this God of yours?’ “

Indeed, the atheists and agnostics are having a field day. Why would such a good God allow such agony and disaster on His people? Where is the grace that is bestowed upon Jamaica in such a time of crucial loss?

But even people of faith are left with questions too. Many admirable biblical characters encountered difficulties, but they still trusted the Almighty through adversities. David penned in Psalm 30:5, “For His anger is but for a moment, His favour is for life. Weeping may endure for a night, but joy comes in the morning.”

Undoubtedly, it is going to be a long recovery, but Jamaica will rise again. There are still many among us who anchor our faith in God and have a resilient mindset.

We must rally together and help each other to rebuild and rebound after this catastrophe. We are still a blessed country that is “likkle but tallawah”.

Oneil Madden

maddenoniel@yahoo.com