WHITE RIVER, Portland — While this eastern parish escaped the worst of the wrath of Hurricane Melissa one year ago, people in the community known as White River who live or farm close to the banks of the Buff Bay River lost houses, property, and produce.

The river overflowed its banks leaving millions of dollars in damage, and one year later residents say not enough has been done to prevent a repeat during the next heavy rain.

Garfield Giscombe was among those left counting their losses after the Category 5 storm.

“Melissa took a portion of the land and an apartment, but nothing has been done. Persons have come, but nothing else,” Giscombe told the Jamaica Observer last week.

“A petition was written [and] signed by the people and sent to the relevant persons, but nothing has been done. See the tree and sections of the building still in the river. I have to be aware of where I build and hope that the groin is done to save the rest of my building” added Giscombe.

Kenneth Bartley speaking with the Jamaica Observer on his farm near the Buff Bay River in Portland. (Photo: Everard Owen)

He was supported by Kenneth Bartley, who operates a farm close to the river.

“We are here by the riverside that keep on breaking. Melissa, it was scary. A lot of the land is gone, and it’s still tearing away even in the dry time. When the water comes, we know that it’s going to tear some more. It’s very, very bad.

“We really like the help to save it, not just we alone, but the whole community…I was planting quick crops, and all of it is gone, because the land was right over there,” said Bartley as he pointed to the area where his farm once was.

“We are in jeopardy here. These large boulders here were taken down by the river during Melissa. We still do some farming here, but we need the help to control the river. We are fearful and don’t want to do full-scale farming as we don’t want to lose our crops. We have spoken to the various persons…but no help as yet,” Bartley added.

For fellow farmer Michael Garrick, the challenge is more than just his losses from the Category 5 storm.

A section of a building ,owned by Garfield Giscombe, which was damaged when the Buff Bay River overflowed its banks during Hurricane Melissa last year. (Photo: Everard Owen)

Garrick farms parallel to the Buff Bay River, with bananas, plantains, yam, pineapples, and various cash crops in the ground.

He told the Observer that despite his losses in Melissa, he has not received any support from the Rural Agricultural Development Authority (RADA) because he is not a registered farmer.

“We are here, and we are fighting the fight, and we are trying to do what the Government says, [but] we have to have RADA ties to get help. I don’t see why we have to have RADA ties,” argued Garrick.

“I am not registered, and I went to a meeting and it was only some people I see getting fertilisers and plants, so I left. I know that in moving farm items you have to have receipts and identification if the police stop you, but I am a trying farmer, but I am not seeing how RADA helping me and they have not come to my farm, but I am trying,” Garrick added.

Adamant that he will not register with RADA, Garrick told the Observer that he is prepared to be charged by the police for transporting his produce to the market without a farmer’s licence.

He also urged the authorities to take action to protect residents from the Buff Bay River when it overflows its banks.

“The river is my major problem as I continue to farm and feed the people and myself. We can’t always depend on Government as we can help ourselves, but there are some things that they have to do to help the people that we can’t manage, like the river groynes,” said Garrick.

“Give thanks and praise to the Almighty for carrying you here, to highlight, again, the danger of this river. The river is not easy, we just see water flowing heavy and tomorrow you come you see it run back a little bit. At Plum Valley and Charles Town it come down and washed away the soil, and we have been appealing for some groynes to be done here also.

“The groynes saved a lady house up there, and we want it to save our land, farm, and house also as it has washed away a portion of my farmland and crops and a section of another man’s property a little further down,” said Garrick as he called on the Government and State agencies to be proactive to protect the residents of White River.