‘I was glad for company’
Elderly woman grateful to survive Hurricane Melissa with neighbours
ST ELIZABETH, Jamaica — A 71-year-old woman says she is grateful she didn’t have to weather Hurricane Melissa alone as it tore through St Elizabeth, leaving devastation in its wake.
When Observer Online visited the parish, we met Wilhel Stone Williams, who described the storm as nothing short of “catastrophic”.
Williams recalled the hours leading up to the hurricane, saying she had been watching from her window.
“I saw the trees over next door waving and waving, every leaf come off of them and I just feel it. It feel sad,” she said.
As the storm grew stronger, she said she could hear the thumping of the wind against her roof. Soon after, sheets of zinc began to rip away.
Initially, Williams said she felt she would be okay. But her confidence faded when she heard “beating on the housetop and the zinc starting to rattle”. That’s when panic set in.
“It’s the wickedest hurricane this…This one is really, really bad, everybody get a touch of it,” she said.
She recalled walking from room to room trying to calm herself when she realised her neighbour’s roof had blown off. Moments later, her neighbour ran over to seek shelter.
“I was glad that time because that is when I get some company,” she said.
Overwhelmed, Williams admitted she has barely eaten since.
“I feel sad. I just drink a little syrup from morning. I have something that can cook but I don’t feel to do anything at all.”
Beyond her own safety, she said she was also worried about her pet goat.
“I was fretting for him. I was going to take him on the veranda and I say no, too much work, too much work, so I never take him up because I didn’t know the hurricane would be so bad,” she recounted.
“He’s so beautiful and God don’t make anything happen to him,” she pleaded.
Williams is now seeking assistance to repair her damaged roof.
“Everywhere is leaking, everywhere is leaking,” she expressed.
Her neighbour, Rosemarie Williams, who rushed over with her son after her own roof blew off, described the moment of terror.
“I feel scared but I have to just make up my mind and come through,” she said.
She said her belongings were soaked by heavy rain, and she is hoping for help during this difficult time.
Those willing to assist can reach her at 1 (876) 214-1501.
