WHEN one entertainer saw how Hurricane Melissa obliterated homes in western Jamaica, he paused construction on his house in Manchester, gathered the workmen he’d hired, and journeyed to Newton, St Elizabeth, to help repair roofs for 10 families.

With that task complete, Kevin “Biggaton” Roye has turned his attention to getting resources to complete the construction of a home belonging to a visually impaired man. He’s using social media to attract donors to purchase windows, doors, and possibly expand roof repairs to others in the community.

“After the hurricane, and we saw what happened we said, ‘Alright then, let’s venture out into Newton and see what happen around here, because Black River, [St Elizabeth], is about 10 miles from here. We never reach Black River. We did a go Black River and then we say, ‘No, we a go Newton,’ and when we turn at Lacovia, we turn into Newton…every light pole tear down.

“Me say, ‘No government people nah come here suh for the next three or four years.’ So we just say, ‘We [are] stopping at Newton,’ ” Roye told the Jamaica Observer.

He shared that upon entering the community of Newton he and the workmen met a resident who showed them 10 houses that needed repair. The houses were one-bedroom structures that belonged to single mothers with children, a visually impaired man, elderly men and women, and farmers.

“I realised that a lot of people [were] giving food and drink and stuff like those, which are very essential as well, but I decided that I would rather put on some roofs to put back people in their home because at least they would have shelter from the elements and their furniture can [be] spare[d]. But I [couldn’t] do it for everybody so we just focused on some one-room [dwellings],” he explained.

Roye shared that they started the project on November 4, exactly one week after the Category 5 Hurricane Melissa ravaged the island on October 28. He also said that he personally invested $1.7 million to repair the 10 roofs, all of which have been completed.

“Right now, because of the situation they are in, if rain falls [their] furniture wet up back, their mattress wet up back, and everything. What we’re doing [is] temporary. We’re just [putting zinc on] it right now, and then if we have time we can go back to the place and encourage them and say, ‘Hey, let’s try and see if unnu can get this thing deck,’” he explained.

The Rastafarian reggae artiste has, however, said he’s decided to do more for the visually impaired man. Roye explained that the man has an unfinished concrete house and was living in a rented house before Melissa made landfall. He’d intended to stay there until he had the funds to complete the construction on his house. The roof of the rented house was destroyed during the hurricane’s onslaught and Roye and his team repaired it. However, he wants to help the visually impaired man complete his house.

“With his house, it has no flooring, and it is not rendered, or rough cast, or anything like that. [There are] no windows, nothing — so we decided, with the help of sponsors, we are gonna reach out to some people — social media-wise — and they said, ‘Alright, Biggaton, let’s do this,’ so we are going to do this completely,” he told the Sunday Observer.

Roye shared that when he visited Newton he was crushed by what he saw, but the visually impaired man’s story touched his heart.

“With the blind man situation, it made me cry. It mash up my heart to know that he really [had to] survive this. If you ever see how the tree them drop around the house [he was in]. A [neighbour] said he heard him bawl [out] before the hurricane came. That time, the trees them started to drop down already because the place [was] already soaked, and the first light breeze — not the hurricane[-force wind] — started to tear down the trees them already. The [neighbour] said [he had] to take him [the visually impaired man] out and carry him somewhere safe,” the entertainer relayed.

Roye said he is documenting the process on social media and has already reached out to his more than 50,000 followers to ask for support, which he said is steadily flowing in.

Phyllis Pusey is one of the Newton residents who had the roof of her home repaired by Roye’s team. The elderly woman said she was inside her house when she saw signs that her roof would go flying with the wind. She took action.

“This one is like a typhoon, tsunami, or one of them. This is bad. The community is two acres and everything actually flat. [In] the whole community [only] around five homes [were] not damaged…I go through [Hurricane] Gilbert, and Gilbert was rough, but this was rougher than Gilbert.

“I had to stand up and look, and when I [saw] the water start coming into the side [of the house] I said, ‘This is it, I’m coming out,’ ” she told the Sunday Observer.

“I [stood] and [watched] other roofs just go flying all over the place. I couldn’t go to the shelter by the school so I [went] to a friend who has a decked house, and it was a whole lot of us there in one room, but the room was big,” said Pusey.

“I’m grateful, and the whole community is. If it’s even one that him did do, that’s something to be grateful for — even one,” she said, acknowledging the restoration work by Roye and his team.

Roye said he is a philanthropist at heart, and his actions were second nature.

“I just follow my heart. To say where it came from, I don’t know. It’s not an experience that I had, it’s just me, [who I am]. Biggaton is just a person who has always wanted to give back,” he said.

As he emphasised the importance of providing shelter for those in need, the entertainer called on individuals and organisations to join him on the mission.

“Whoever can do one or two houses shelter-wise, do it. People who [are giving] them food already, that’s good, but if we can do one or two or three shelters, do it. You [probably] can’t reach 10 like me, or if you can do more than 10, even better. It is better for the business community if they can really assist as well, and do it as fast as possible. It a go be better because health-wise, less children a go sick, less seniors a go sick, less people overall, man and woman, a go sick, and [everyone will feel] more secure,” he reasoned.

“…It’s best for us to just come together and do it as fast as possible,” urged Roye.

Workmen repair a roof in Newton, St Elizabeth, that was ripped apart by the raging winds of Hurricane Melissa.

ROYE…I realised that a lot of people [were] giving food and drink, but I decided that I would rather put on some roofs to put back people in their homes