‘How do you rebuild all this?’ Black River residents assess damage after Hurricane Melissa

People of Jamaican coastal town described as storm’s ground zero are traumatised and desperate for helpIt is a treacherous journey to Black River, a coastal town in Jamaica’s southwestern parish of St Elizabeth, which this week bore the brunt of Hurricane Melissa, one of the strongest Atlantic hurricanes on record.Uprooted trees and lamp-posts, rubble from landslides, huge potholes and miles of thick, slippery silt from severe flooding have turned the route into a dangerous obstacle course. But most daunting is the water that you encounter as you pass through communities that overnight have become rivers. Continue reading…