TRUCK operators in southern St James are calling for urgent Government support to get their vehicles back on the road after relentless flood water ravaged their rigs during the passage of Hurricane Melissa on October 28.

The operators insist the catastrophe was not solely the work of nature, but a man-made disaster made worse by poor drainage from a nearby highway construction project that turned the storm’s fury into a torrent of destruction.

“I am 61 years old and I have never seen this inna me life. It’s since the highway started being built. It’s not the hurricane that did this, it’s the water,” Clyde Maxwell, operator of Maxwell Trucking in Irwin, St James, told the Jamaica Observer last Thursday.

Maxwell reported that at least 11 trucks in his garage, along with several others nearby, were “totally damaged” when flood water swept through the area.

“We have about three trucks in the water; we only managed to get one out. We tried to use the excavator to recover another, but it’s completely ruined. All of these trucks you see in the yard are working trucks that go out every Monday morning,” he said, adding that approximately 21 motorcars were also affected.

The truckers, numbering about 20, make a living hauling mostly construction material and containers.

While a full assessment has not yet been done, Maxwell said the losses run into the millions of dollars.

“My truck is right there. Another trailer stopped it from going into the water. That’s going to cost me at least $2 million to fix, and mine is the least damaged, so you can imagine the rest,” he said.

Maxwell noted that small operators, who rely solely on their trucks for income, are unsure how they will start rebuilding.

“We are small companies and we try to work with the system, but we need help. All these trucks are our source of income. Now nobody knows what to do; we just don’t know, we’re out in the dark. We wouldn’t mind if they could hear our cry and help us. It’s not our fault; we’re paying rent for the land, it’s not ours. When the country opens up, what are we going to do? We’re trying to rebuild, but financially, not everyone is secure,” Maxwell said.

He emphasised that the truckers are not seeking charity, but rather loans to repair their vehicles and resume operations.

“We wouldn’t mind if we could get somebody to talk to us. We are not looking for a handout, but if we could get support, if you can give each man a loan, I know every man would repay it. It’s not free money, but it would give us a start,” he argued.

Meanwhile, Franklin Garrison, another trucker, called on the Ministry of Transport and the Ministry of Industry, Investment and Commerce to consider granting duty-free concessions or shell licences to allow affected truckers to import replacement vehicle bodies and parts.

“I would just love it if the transport ministry and trade and export, if we bring in a shell licence, could do something for us duty-free so we can have something we can sign up if a man needs to bring in a cab for my vehicle,” he said.

“The cabs are there in the United States, and we can acquire these things, but we are getting a beating, so we need some type of waiver,” he suggested.

Garrison told the Sunday Observer that at least six of his cars were swept away during the heavy flooding associated with Hurricane Melissa.

Clyde Maxwell, the operator of Maxwell Trucking in Irwin, St James, looks at the damage sustained to his garage, where several trucks were covered with debris due to heavy flooding as a result of Hurricane Melissa, while others were swept away in a river. (Photos: Naphtali Junior)

This container was not spared.

Damage to motor vehicles at a garage in Irwin, St James, following the passage of Hurricane Melissa.

Truckers in St James are now wondering how they will rebuild after their motor vehicles were damaged during the recent passage of Hurricane Melissa.

MAXWELL…all these trucks are our source of income, now nobody knows what to do