BELMONT, Westmoreland — For Oshine Fenton and her neighbours in the Up Street section of Belmont here in this parish, the passage of Hurricane Melissa didn’t just bring rain and wind — it brought a total upheaval of life as they knew it. They are now hoping better will come in assisting the community transition from temporary relief to permanent stability.

“We are here today to see the MP [Member of Parliament for Westmoreland Eastern Dr Dayton Campbell] and know that they are out here and looking out for the residents here… We have our fingers crossed that things will get better,” said Fenton.

She shared her harrowing account of the destruction with the Jamaica Observer following Thursday’s visit to the community by Minister of Water, Environment and Climate Change Matthew Samuda; Director General of the Planning Institute of Jamaica (PIOJ) Dr Wayne Henry; and Executive Director of the Fund for Responding to Loss and Damage (FRLD) Ibrahima Cheikh Diong.

The high-level delegation and MP Campbell made stops in White House and the Up Street area of Belmont in Westmoreland. Earlier in the day there were stops in St Elizabeth with Mayor of Black River Richard Solomon and MP for South West St Elizabeth Floyd Green. The goal: Assess the damage and discuss long-term recovery strategies.

“It was really bad,” recalled Fenton. “Persons have lost their homes, their business places… a lot of stuff. Clothes, utensils, things to use.”

The physical loss, while immense, pales in comparison to the human loss which has plunged the community into mourning following the storm due to the deaths of several residents — young and elderly — who were unable to access timely medical care. Some injuries were storm-related.

“After the storm, persons started to stress, depressed,” explained Fenton. “Some couldn’t get to the hospital, so they had to end up staying until they just passed off. About four to five [people].”

Many homes were completely flattened — including Fenton’s — which has made for dire living conditions in the community. Families are now crammed into the few standing structures. Fenton is currently staying in her grandmother’s small concrete house.

“Persons in this community really want to have a comfortable place where they can lay their heads. For now, people have to be in persons’ homes. You will have, like, five persons on a bed. So it’s kind of difficult,” relayed the young woman.

Basic necessities like electricity and clean running water remain a luxury, forcing residents to trek to the river for bathing and laundry.

Despite the hardships, Fenton expressed deep gratitude for the life they still have and the provision of relief items.

“Persons have been passing through giving us foodstuff, toiletries to use for bathing, and water. So we have to give God thanks,” she noted.

For his part, Campbell is hopeful that the visit will translate into help for his constituents.

“The housing need is significant at this point in time. Most persons here, they’re in need of building assistance. And so we hope that the visit will be fruitful and we’ll be able to get some assistance to build those things [houses], and then the commercial assistance so persons can rebuild their shops, get back some things into their shops so they can restart their lives,” he told the Sunday Observer.

The MP also highlighted the significant level of devastation in the community, pointing out that most wooden houses in the area were completely flattened. While some residents have begun the arduous task of rebuilding, many homes remain covered only by tarpaulins, or in some cases, have no covering at all.

The local economy has also taken a major hit, with numerous shops and businesses destroyed.

Campbell pointed out that every member of the community has suffered some level of loss, ranging from structural damage to the destruction of furniture, appliances, and clothing.

“It’s a traumatic experience. A lot of persons that were comfortable, worked several years to acquire what they have, they lost it in a matter of hours and so it is a difficult experience. People’s livelihoods have been taken away; they have to depend on others,” he said.