MONTEGO BAY, St James — In the wake of the damage unleashed on sections of Jamaica by Category 5 Hurricane Melissa, a powerful wave of community spirit has surged through affected areas such as Westgreen and neighbouring Catherine Hall in St James.

Neighbours and volunteers have come together determined to rebuild what the storm tore apart. Among them is Malik, a young man from nearby Tucker District, who — along with three friends — has been working tirelessly to clear debris and repair damaged homes in Catherine Hall.

“Hurricane Melissa didn’t hit me so bad,” Malik told the Jamaica Observer.

“It is a different community I am coming from, and I came around here to help. In Catherine Hall, it is rough on the people them. It rough bad. We just cleared out a house, and we had to take out all the furniture. The whole of it mash up, and a lot of mud full up di place,” added Malik.

Two weeks after the hurricane, residents of Westgreen and Catherine Hall are still struggling to reclaim their homes and livelihoods.

Long-time Westgreen resident, who gave her name only as Toya, described the impact of the storm as catastrophic.

“Hurricane Melissa affected me really bad because I lost everything in the house — clothes, furniture, and other things because the water rose to eight feet,” Toya recounted, her voice heavy with emotion.

“Everything we worked for… it’s just gone,” added Toya as she told the Observer she is now considering moving from the area permanently.

“I am trying to put the pieces together [but] I honestly don’t know if I can manage another disaster like this,” she declared.

The impact of Melissa on Catherine Hall was sobering for Jordan Ward, a member of the China Harbour Road Construction project team who has been working in the area for weeks.

“The state of Catherine Hall is very undesirable right now, and I can feel it for the residents. Everybody is trying to do their best to bring it back to a state of normalcy, both for outsiders and internal residents,” said Ward, in reference to the fact that the Category 5 storm has galvanised neighbours and volunteers to assist in the relief efforts in the community.

Meanwhile, Chevaughn Tucker, a fruit vendor who sells at the entrance of Catherine Hall Plaza, said the storm has slowed his business significantly.

“The impact that the storm had on people’s personal lives is huge,” Tucker said. “A lot of customers who usually support me were badly affected. Money they would use to buy food, they have to channel to other resources to try and rebuild.”

As residents, including Toya, and small business owners like Tucker, begin the slow process of rebuilding their lives, and volunteers, including Malik, continue to provide critical assistance, the scars of Hurricane Melissa remain in plain sight in Catherine Hall.

For these residents it is clear that the road to full recovery will be long and challenging despite the support of Government and non-governmental organisations.