Critical relief and medical care continue in Black River and in communities that remain cut off in the weeks following Category 5 Hurricane Melissa.
Derick emerged from cover to survey the storm he had just survived. Hurricane Melissa had churned for hours over Black River, Jamaica, and from what he could see, his community was in ruins.
The Samaritan’s Purse shelter tarp provided Derick a dry place to sleep after his roof was torn away. It could be many weeks before he’ll be able to rebuild what Melissa destroyed.
The tropical forests stood bare and gray. Aluminum roofs lay twisted in the streets among broken trees and scattered belongings. Tens of thousands of Jamaicans lost their homes in the 185-mph winds.
“Hurricane Melissa was a monster. It took off my roof and many of my neighbors’ roofs. It was just so devastating,” Derick said. “When we grouped together after the hurricane, others said they had never seen nothing like this. I have no running water. No electricity. We are seeking help. We are pleading to whoever can help us.”
Families walked their neighborhoods at dusk, taking in the wreckage that Hurricane Melissa left behind.
Two days after the storm, Samaritan’s Purse was on the ground, working through church partners connected with us through Operation Christmas Child. Since our Disaster Assistance Response Team (DART) arrived on the island nation Oct. 30, we have provided medical care, clean water, and shelter materials to thousands of Jamaicans. Multiple airlifts by our DC-8, 767, and 757 delivered more than 500,000 pounds of critical aid.
Clean water stations became a lifeline for children who had gone days without a reliable source of water.
Since then, our teams have installed freshwater filtration systems that are supplying thousands of gallons of clean water each day. We also set up a reverse osmosis desalination unit capable of filtering brackish sources when wells and municipal systems fail.
Nearly 2,000 patients have received medical care through our Emergency Field Hospital in Black River and our Mobile Medical Units.
Across the southwest, thousands of households are receiving shelter kits, solar lights, jerry cans, and Bibles. Chainsaw teams have opened roadways by removing downed trees and utility poles—many of which had kept entire communities isolated since the storm.
Working through church partners has accelerated our efforts and strengthened the ministry of local congregations.
Sheelyn Manya, left, said Samaritan’s Purse was an answer to her many prayers as Melissa advanced toward the island. SHE WAS GRATEFUL TO USE HER SCHOOL AS A DISTRIBUTION POINT, PROVIDING FELLOW ISLANDERS WITH SHELTER TARP, A SOLAR-POWERED LANTERN, AND OTHER SUPPLIES. WITHOUT RELIABLE ELECTRICITY IN THE AREA, NIGHT IS PITCH BLACK.
“God works in mysterious ways,” said Sheelyn Manya, a regional leadership team coordinator with Operation Christmas Child in St. Elizabeth Parish. She praised God for how He prepared their network before the storm. “Our Operation Christmas Child partners are what have helped us to reach so many people who would not have gotten anything at all.”
Derick was among the storm-weary residents who gratefully received these simple but critical supplies.
He smiled as he held the tarp that would keep his bed and few remaining belongings dry. The solar light, he said, would be “a big help to me to see and move around during the night.”
“I’m grateful for Samaritan’s Purse to come along, hear our needs, hear our cry, and hear our story to help us,” he said. “God bless and keep you people going to help me and others.”
Prayers Answered Through Medical Care
Our Emergency Field Hospital and Mobile Medical Units are standing in the gap left by the storm’s devastation of local healthcare facilities. At least four major hospitals were severely damaged.
Michelle, a resident of Alligator Pond, was hurting with chest and shoulder pain after clearing debris from her yard and repairing her roof. She praised the Lord when she saw a Samaritan’s Purse tent offering free medical care.
Inside the mobile medical tent, Michelle met with a staff member who prayed with each patient who came through for care. The opportunity to speak with someone and receive treatment brought her welcome relief after long days of strain.
“I came here emotionally sad,” Michelle said. “And God has led me on the right path. This is a miracle because I didn’t know that Samaritan’s Purse was here. Thanks be to God. I came and I got more than what I even asked for. Thank you, Jesus!”
Nurses and doctors treated her injuries, listened to her story, prayed with her, and encouraged her with God’s Word. She said that simply talking through the trauma of recent weeks brought relief after so many long days of strain and loss.
“My prayers are being answered because I asked God before the hurricane that He send every necessary need for His children—to heal, to comfort, and to deliver,” she said. “The Comforter has come to give us relief.”
Dr. Steve Haverly, part of a Mobile Medical Unit serving outlying communities, said the need has been urgent.
“All of these communities had health clinics—government clinics that have been destroyed,” he said. “So Mobile Medical Units reach out to them where they are.”
We praise God for the lives touched and healed as He continues answering prayers across Jamaica. Please keep praying for families as they rebuild and for our church partners and teams as they meet urgent needs in Jesus’ Name.
