BLUEFIELDS, Westmoreland — Seventy-one farmers, fishers, and bee-keepers in the Bluefields area of Westmoreland who were badly affected by Hurricane Melissa one year ago have received much-needed supplies through the Judy Mowatt Outreach Ministries (JMOM), the Sean Paul Foundation (SPF), and the United Way of Jamaica (UWJ).

The initiative was piloted by the Bluefields People’s Community Development Committee Benevolent Society.

One beneficiary, Donald Winter, a fisherman for more than five years, told the
Jamaica Observer on Monday that he lost fishing gear, pots, and suffered damage to his boats, among other items valued at just under $1 million during the Category 5 storm.

“It took years of dedication and years of consistent saving to reach that level, and then to just lose it in one evening, you have to be mentally strong to come back from that. With the little help that we have been getting I am very grateful for it, because I didn’t give anybody anything. So, anything I get, I’m just really grateful for it. And I’m trying to help myself in the process also,” said Winter, who underscored that fishing is his main source of income.

He said because Melissa severely damaged local marine habitats he had to go the extra mile to survive.

“So we had to do extra to make ends meet. It’s basically a year now, and with help, we are gradually making progress,” added Winter.

He pointed out that before Melissa he had purchased most of the equipment needed for his trade but with supplies and skilled labour becoming scarce after the hurricane he had to learn how to make items like fish pots himself.

Bluefields People’s Community Development Committee Benevolent Society Manager Nickeisha Robinson (centre) and President Wolde Kristos (right) accepting a Starlink satellite from Sean Paul Foundation representative David Henry.

“Everybody [is] building, and you just have to wait until somebody builds a roll of wire for you. Everybody [is] on the waiting list. So, I just tasked myself… to learn this,” said Winter, who began the rebuilding process with assistance from donors and later supplemented it with his remaining savings.

During the recent distribution organised by the Bluefields People’s Community Development Committee Benevolent Society, Winter received fishing line, a life jacket, and a global positioning system (GPS) unit.

“The GPS is very beneficial, because I can locate my pots. I can set them blind — meaning set them underneath water — and find them back with the GPS. Because there’s a lot of larceny going on the sea, and when you set your pots you are not guaranteed to go back and find them the next day. Somebody take them,” explained Winter.

Another beneficiary, Jelecia Blake, has been a bee farmer for three years. She estimated her losses at more than $200,000 when the Category 5 storm wiped out her business just two years after she had started.

“I was wondering where I am going to start from, because [I was] back at square one. Getting the help from last week is putting [me] back on my feet and giving hope,” Blake told the Observer.

She explained that even a year after the storm she was unable to recover without assistance, “because in this area it is hard to buy back bees, hard to get boxes, because everybody is down mostly in Westmoreland”.

During the distribution, fishers and produce farmers received coolers, boat repair materials, rakes, knives, vegetable seeds, fertiliser, water boots, machetes, and water tanks.

Poultry farmers received Grade A chicks, feed, automated waterers, and materials to repair or rebuild chicken coops while bee-keepers were provided with beehives, smokers, veils, hive tools, and extractors.

Among the supporting partners were the Barita Foundation and We Were Once Them — an organisation of aviators and flight attendants. UWJ delivered $1.7 million worth of supplies directly to 36 vegetable and chicken farmers.

The farmers and fishers signed up for assistance during a two-day health fair held August 22–23 under the theme Bluefields Rising: Health and Recovery Fair at Belmont Academy.

The Benevolent Society also received a Starlink system, courtesy of the Sean Paul Foundation.

The health fair was hosted by JMOM in partnership with the Sean Paul Foundation, with volunteer support from International Medical Relief.

More than 900 residents received dental and vision services. Diagnostic testing, health education, visits to shut-ins and indigent residents, and other specialised support were also provided.

JMOM and the Sean Paul Foundation also distributed care packages containing food, hygiene products, and personal care items to the residents.