ST JAMES, Jamaica – Although he lost two homes in Hurricane Melissa, Delroy Dove is grateful just to be alive after coming horrifically close to death during the Category 5 storm.

According to the tour guide of Johns Hall in St James, one of the homes, a wooden three-bedroom dwelling, collapsed with him inside resulting in injuries to his head, back and one of his hands.

Recalling the near-death experience, Dove told Observer Online that he saw complete darkness when his house shifted from its foundation due to the forceful nature of the 185 mph winds, causing the structure to tumble downhill with him trapped inside.

“Boy, I see darkness and then me see light,” Dove recalled, still visibly shaken from the traumatic incident.

“A when me drop out me see light, for when it lift up with me, me a say, ‘Ah it this now’, for it lift up like a plane off the earth,” he said, adding “When it lift up first, it drop back down the gully [and] me find myself outside and me creep up.”

Devral, another caretaker at the property who said he witnessed the incident, told Observer Online that he had no idea Dove was inside the house when it was lifted by the wind.

“A inna the building me deh and see the house lift up inna the air. It fly. Me never know say him deh here, when me see him run out, me say b****t him inna the house,” he said.

The wooden structure served as a temporary home for Dove at Johns Hall Adventure Tours, where he has worked as a caretaker for more than two decades. The house is now completely destroyed, along with his belongings, including his bed, refrigerator, stove, and fan.

“Me no save back nothing. Everything, fridge, bed, dresser, everything dung the gully. Give thanks fi life still but me still need little help to move on. To start somewhere back, nothing me no save only what me have on,” Dove said, stressing “Nothing me no save, not even the age paper.”

The tour guide is now homeless, as his permanent residence in Spring Mount was also destroyed during the storm.

“It rough. Me just have to gwaan take it rough. Me nail up a little place under here so, me sun that piece a mattress deh. That’s where me live now,” he said, pointing to a single mattress he had placed out in the sun to dry.

He is now residing in an unfinished section of the property where he has managed to attach a sheet of zinc, providing him with temporary protection from the weather elements.

Dove is now appealing for assistance to rebuild a new home.