BELMONT, Westmoreland — Three helicopters brought hope to residents here on Sunday as they received well-needed relief supplies, five days after Category 5 Hurricane Melissa left many of them homeless.

Two of the helicopters were from the Jamaica Defence Force (JDF) while the third brought food courtesy of World Central Kitchen. They landed on a field at Belmont Academy, which is centrally located between Whitehouse and Bluefields in the parish.

Keisha Rowe, a Belmont resident who also works at Belmont Academy, was grateful for the supplies.

“We are happy for the help and there is more to come. Many people here don’t have anywhere to live. A lot of people homeless, so we glad for the help and I am happy that it came fast enough,” she said.

Wayne Smith, a visually impaired man, also expressed gratitude to the JDF and donors for assisting his community.

“You see over by my house, it has no top. I have to stay at people yard. Me and my wife is under [a] bed we [kept safe]. It real critical, it not normal…I am not speaking for myself alone, because I can’t move about like that, but I still have to try bounce [around],” he said.

Residents have been keen on listening for helicopters hovering over their communities in hopes that the units might land and deliver supplies.

“Today we hear the [heli]copter a bup, bup, bup, and I said, ‘I am going up there,’ and when I went I got through right away — flour, rice, sugar, everything in there,” said Smith.

He said supermarkets still functional after the storm have run out of supplies.

“They have to close…Melissa leave we out a door…We give Jah thanks to save our lives, because if it was night we dead,” he added.

Carly Wilson, a visitor from Missouri in the USA, whose husband is from Belmont, said she connected with donor organisations.

“I happened to be here during the hurricane…we were not able to get out. I actually had conflicting feelings about leaving people behind, because this is my husband’s community; I have been coming [here] a long time.

“This is a very emotional experience, seeing everybody struggle. The people desperately need help . The last several days I have been trying to organise aid groups to come down,” she added.

Some organisations have already made multiple trips to the community, adding that World Central Kitchen was the first to arrive and that they’ll be able to use Belmont Academy’s kitchen.

“So they will be putting out hot meals,” she said, pointing out that other organisations have committed to join the well-needed distribution of relief supplies.

Wilson reiterated the hope brought by helicopters, but said water is well-needed.

“As soon as the helicopters landed people just start swarming and coming from the community, cars were coming and people were running. It was initially reported that people needed an ID [identification] to receive the aid, but that’s not true, you just have to provide your name,” she said.

“Unfortunately, there is no drinking water in these combo packs. We need drinking water in this community as soon as possible. The people are afraid to drink the water. Pipes burst all up and down the line here. The amount of things in the hillside the water is not safe to drink. We need drinking water badly,” she added.

Five-year-old Travis Miller clutches a care package dropped off by JDF helicopters on Sunday at Belmont Academy in Westmoreland.

Two members of the Jamaica Defence Force carry care packages on Sunday at Belmont Academy in Westmoreland.

Belmont resident Nickashai Samuels (left), her partner Rodney Walker, and their one-year-old son Duke are all smiles after receiving a care package dropped off by JDF helicopters on Sunday at Belmont Academy in Westmoreland.

Carly Wilson, a visitor from Missouri, USA, speaking with the Jamaica Observer on Sunday at Belmont Academy in Westmoreland.