LUCEA, Hanover — The lives of 79-year-old Elaine Smith and her three orphaned grandchildren were upended last October by Hurricane Melissa, leaving them at their wits’ end.

One year later, the non-profit organisation Hanover Charities has provided a ray of hope for the family.

The Category 5 storm left the elderly Smith with a heavy burden. It stole the life of her only son, who suffered a severe asthma attack during the ordeal, leaving her to pick through the wreckage of his shattered house and step in to raise his three grieving sons. The boys had already lost their mother five years earlier.

“It was an awful situation, because we didn’t have a house, nothing. Everything was destroyed, and we were so unhappy, because my son died and left his three children without a mother. So it was challenging for me and we don’t know how we got along, but we got along and are still surviving,” stated Smith, adding, “Hanover Charities came in, and they offered to give us a home and everything.”

Even though the family waited six months for a secure place to rest at night and end the ordeal of getting wet whenever it rained, they never gave up hope.

Help arrived in April from the organisation, fulfilling a promise made shortly after the storm.

However, construction posed another hurdle; Smith and her grandsons had nowhere to stay while the remains of the old wooden structure were demolished to make way for their new home. Recognising the dilemma, Hanover Charities went a step further by funding the family’s stay at the Global Villa Hotel in the parish.

Jamar Malcolm hugs his grandmother Elaine Smith while showing their new home, which is in the final stage of construction. (Photo: Anthony Lewis)

“We were there for two months. Then, after the house kind of got put back together, we came back in June and from there, they tried to fix up every little thing for us,” Smith told the Jamaica Observer on Monday.

Hanover Charities fully furnished the new $3.2-million, four-bedroom house to ensure the family’s comfort. It also set up regulated electricity access.

“We got a table and chairs. The four of us got a bed, a dresser, and a washing machine,” Smith said. “We are very grateful to Hanover Charities for stepping in and saving our lives. I couldn’t have managed alone.”

Reflecting on the traumatic experience, Smith shared the lessons she learnt along the way.

“We could write about this storm, because it was so challenging. We had nowhere to go. At night, we have to run with pans and catch water. When the rain started to fall, the beds were wet, and everything. And we went through it with the help of God until somebody came and helped us,” stated Smith, who also had words of encouragement for others who are waiting for help.

“I would encourage them to keep faith because somebody’s there to help them. Just like how they helped us, I think somebody will step in and help them. So, keep courage, and God will go in the midst and help them,” stated Smith.

The family also received an outpouring of support from Jamaica Observer readers who read about their plight in a story published in January, resulting in basic school supplies and assistance with educational fees.

“Some people reached out, and I personally got a laptop from a pastor in Hopewell, and I’m very grateful for that laptop, so I could use it for my school lessons and studies,” stated the younger of the siblings, Jamar Malcolm, who is a Rusea’s High School student.

While Jamar and Julus (who attends Green Island High School) received renewable annual scholarships through to graduation from Hanover Charities, their eldest brother, Howard, was initially left out.

Smith explained that Howard was accepted to Sam Sharpe Teachers’ College in St James after the grants were awarded in the summer, leaving the family facing a tuition bill of more than $400,000.

However, the chairperson of Hanover Charities Katherine Casserly confirmed that Howard’s application has since been approved.

“He needs to contact the office, because so many scholarships were requested after the fact. We had already paid various school organisations, so we made further transfers. So, he just has to contact the office, but he got through as well because I did approve it,” stated Casserly, who highlighted the extensive logistics and fund-raising required to complete the project.

“The entire fund-raising effort continued throughout the whole spring and summer of this year, because we realised that this was a large undertaking and the initial funds we had actually estimated wouldn’t do. But we couldn’t leave the family stranded, so we finished the house, and we got them furniture and appliances as well. So they are hopefully pretty comfortable at this point,” added Casserly.

She pointed out that building materials were sourced in bulk from Atlantic Hardware in Kingston to maximise assistance for 16 other affected families.