TERRY-ANN Elliot stood among the steady movement of people weaving through stations at the Hertford New Testament Church of God in Westmoreland on Sunday, January 25, with many either checking blood pressure, collecting food packages, or speaking with volunteer counsellors.

But Elliot was not in any of the lines. She was not interested in seeking a doctor, a social worker, or the comfort items laid out for storm-affected families.

Elliot simply watched, her hands wrapped around her toddler as the Giving Relief Aid, Care, and Empowerment (GRACE) Relief Mission unfolded for hundreds of people still reeling from Hurricane Melissa, which devastated western Jamaica on October 28, 2025.

The initiative, which started on January 25 and ended on Friday, January 30, was an outreach project organised by the New Testament Church of God, delivering medical care, dental and legal services, counselling, food packages, children’s supplies, and building support to people still wrestling with the aftershocks of the Category 5 storm.

Elliott, who is due to give birth this month, wore a warm and welcoming smile as she told the Jamaica Observer that she was carrying far more than the weight of her pregnancy and the baby that was nestled to her chest.

“This is my church so I came to just see what’s going on — and whatever I can get, I take. But right now, I’m honestly overwhelmed. Very overwhelmed, because I’m almost due,” she said.

Elliot sighed, as she said since Melissa she has been having a life of uncertainty because the hurricane left her and her husband — who works in the tourism industry — unemployed and without a stable source of income.

Elliot added that their Westmoreland house was compromised by the wind and the rain that came with Melissa, leaving them to survive with only what they have left.

According to Elliot, before Melissa the family was finally getting back on track as they recovered from Hurricane Beryl which hit the island in July 2024.

She said they had plans, savings goals, and expectations for how her pregnancy would unfold — but those plans were blown away by the Category 5 system.

“No light, no water,” lamented Elliot.

“We just have to conserve. We can’t overstretch because we don’t know when things are going to come back to normal. I bake when I can and use that to stretch between expenses, including doctor visits, but sometimes I don’t even want to go because it’s too expensive,” added Elliot as she told the Observer that with a fear of gestational diabetes she makes an effort to maintain her health by drinking the herbal cerasse tea when she does not have access to the balanced meals she needs.

“As long as I have something to catch up my stomach, I will go through. I don’t want to get sick because I still have a baby to care for, and plus the one inside, so I try to just find patience and take everything one step at a time,” said Elliot.

Despite being surrounded by help at the church yard, Elliot was focusing on the coming weeks and how she will care for a newborn given her circumstances.

She explained that Government officials have visited her community, taken names, and completed damage assessments, but she did not know when or whether assistance would reach them. For now, the church’s occasional distributions provide the closest thing to stability.

Elliot also has concerns about the state of the Savanna-la-Mar Public General Hospital post-Melissa, where she expects to give birth.

“I have never given birth in a hospital yet, so I keep on worrying about that. And one of the things that is major on my mind is that they don’t have any ultrasound machines down there. In case something happens, I feel like I’ll have to go elsewhere,” she said.

She added that she worries that the hospital may be overcrowded after sections were damaged by Melissa.

“Sometimes I get frustrated but I remember I have to calm down. I can’t overstress. I don’t want to get sick,” declared Melissa.

And so she waits, managing the discomfort and praying that restoration of her house will be done before her child arrives.

Beneath the church tent she is surrounded by people collecting the help Elliot was not asking for but was willing to accept.

“I am just taking it one day at a time,” said the expectant mother with a smile.

Anyone interested in helping Elliot can contact Renae Osbourne at the e-mail address above.

People streaming into Hertford New Testament Church of God on Sunday, January 25, for the GRACE Hurricane Melissa relief mission. Photo: Samantha Dorah