AMID destruction and despair across the island after Category 5 Hurricane Melissa struck on October 28, one family still had a reason to be thankful.

General Surgeon Joel Sugrim fought through blocked roads, mud traps, and several other challenges to make his way from Mandeville, Manchester, to Three Miles, Westmoreland, in the immediate aftermath of the hurricane to his overjoyed family.

“Oh, they were excited,” he said of his children’s expression when he finally arrived home on October 30, two days after Hurricane Melissa.

Speaking with clear fondness for his son and daughter, Sugrim, who is based at Mandeville Regional Hospital, told the Jamaica Observer that, “They are accustomed to me being away. It’s just that the circumstances made it a bit different [this time].”

The circumstances: The inability to communicate with members of the family after Melissa struck.

Stationed in Manchester, and with no news from his family, Sugrim gave up on sleep and comfort on Wednesday, October 29 as he started out on what proved to be an almost 48-hour trek to get to his family.

“From Holland [Bamboo] to Westmoreland, it didn’t take me that long. There weren’t any hiccups, there was just flooding on the road. But, otherwise, there was basically one-lane traffic throughout to Westmoreland,” Sugrim told the Observer after his trip.

But from Holland Bamboo to Westmoreland was just the last leg of the two-day journey that had taken him from Manchester, through storm-ravaged St Elizabeth, and finally into Westmoreland, which was just as badly affected.

The surgeon had multiple difficulties throughout, from having to clear debris in Spur Tree, to getting stuck in mud in Santa Cruz, to helping a team of ambulance drivers and members of the Jamaica Defence Force tirelessly clear the way from Santa Cruz to New Holland, working overnight with no rest.

He said once he reached home his wife and children were thankfully safe and sound, and just as worried about him.

“She was wondering if I’m okay, if I’m safe. That was her main concern,” said Sugrim as he noted that his wife is also a medical doctor.

He told the Observer that, like many other families in south-western Jamaica, their house was also damaged by the wind and rain associated with Melissa.

“Post-hurricane, the house had flooded, but they sorted that out. When I got down, the kids, they were scared, but they are okay. I had some [minor] damage, though,” Sugrim pointed out.

He took some time off from his job to repair the damage to his house, but like many workers in the critical sectors, he was needed back at the hospital a short while later.

“Work is a bit busy now…because Mandeville just offloaded the entire west — most of the western [Jamaica] patients came [to] Mandeville — so there are a lot of patients,” Sugrim pointed out.

He said his faithful Subaru motor car, which carried him through the mud and flood water, was given some attention from Subaru Jamaica following his initial story, which was shared by the Observer.

“So they called and they checked to make sure everything is okay, and they did a free service and checked if anything needed to be changed. They did a lot of stuff,” Sugrim said with a laugh.

But with the seriousness returning to his voice, Sugrim said his main concern now is for aid and eyes to focus on the most affected areas.

“Western Jamaica doesn’t look good. You have people out there that don’t have houses and are struggling…You have to see it to know it. You guys witnessed it also, if you don’t really see it…it’s just…I don’t think the imagination would be that accurate,” added Sugrim.

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Dr Joel Sugrim’s motor car that got stuck in mud early Wednesday, October 29, just hours after the passage of Hurricane Melissa while the medic was on a dogged journey to get to his wife and children.Garfield Robinson