- 3 months ago
Hurricane Melissa has passed Jamaica with its tail still causing havoc. The people of Jamaica are hoping to recover soon from the destruction but what is the atmosphere as it heads to Cuba well with me is Head of News Natalie Campbell of IRIE FM is with us to give us the details
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00:00Hurricane Melissa has passed Jamaica with its tail still causing havoc.
00:05The people of Jamaica are hoping to recover soon from the destruction.
00:10But what is the atmosphere as it heads to Cuba?
00:14Well, with me is Head of News Natalie Campbell of REFM, and she's here with us to give us the details.
00:21Ms. Campbell, now that Melissa has passed, what has the Category 5 hurricane left in its wake?
00:27I would say a trail of devastation, a lot of damage.
00:33Obviously, we wouldn't be clear yet on how bad it is, because even right now on the north coast where I'm at,
00:40there's some really fierce winds on the outside.
00:43You might be able to hear some of it during this interview.
00:46So there are still parts of the country being affected.
00:48And so we really have not done an assessment yet.
00:51But we have seen pictures on social media.
00:54We know at least one hospital has had to suspend service.
00:58We know that people are being rescued from their homes.
01:01We know that there have been landslides.
01:03We know that there is widespread flooding.
01:05And so it's very serious.
01:09Well, which parishes or communities are currently reporting the greatest damage?
01:14And how are emergency services reaching them?
01:16All right, so St. Elizabeth seems to have been badly impacted by this hurricane so far.
01:24But there are other parishes that are reporting serious damage due to flooding.
01:29There are many homes that have lost roofs.
01:31There are many downed poles.
01:33And so electricity is out in some areas.
01:36But for most of what we are seeing via social media and the reports that we are getting,
01:40it appears sensitive that it's badly affected.
01:42But we have not yet got a true picture of what's happening across the country
01:45because there are parishes that are still being affected by the storm.
01:48But you did mention the power outages.
01:51So with that being occurring and communications have been affected,
01:56can you describe how widespread the outages are
01:59and which critical infrastructure, for example, hospitals or airports,
02:03have been the hardest hit?
02:06Well, right now, sandstorm in Montague would probably still be feeling the effects
02:12because the north coast is being affected right now.
02:16In terms of electricity, from the reports we've been getting here at our station,
02:21almost every parish is affected.
02:23People have talked about it.
02:24One lady I interviewed today said that light was out in one community from yesterday.
02:29They lost power about midday today.
02:32So as far as I can tell, as far as the reports are coming to us,
02:35it seems to be across the island that there is no electricity.
02:38There are some areas that would have, but a great many people are in darkness.
02:43With rainfall forecasts of up to 40 inches
02:46and storm surge of up to 13 feet along parts of the coast,
02:51what are the immediate concerns for landslides and coastal flooding?
02:55And what parts of Jamaica are still vulnerable?
02:59As long as it's raining, every part of the island, I would say, would be vulnerable.
03:03Right now, I know in St. Anne, there was flooding in Cave Valley in the Monique area.
03:09And then there are other parts that, because it's been consistently raining,
03:13we have had flooding issues right across the country.
03:15And the rain hasn't let up, so we're going to be seeing more of that.
03:20And we've had landslides.
03:22And before the hurricane came, we had rain.
03:24And so the earth is saturated.
03:26And so we've been hearing reports of landslides.
03:29And we expect that by the time the rain stops,
03:32our people are able to get out.
03:33And we're going to get a clearer picture of what's happening.
03:36In your view, given what you're seeing,
03:40what kind of damage scenario is most likely,
03:43and what will that mean for recovery in the coming weeks?
03:47It's going to be very interesting,
03:48because this hits us as a Category 5 hurricane.
03:53And we have had lesser hurricanes impacting the country,
03:58and the damage has been really bad.
04:00So we're expecting to see some serious damage
04:03as soon as it's bright and early tomorrow,
04:06if the rain allows it to be so.
04:09And so I would not be surprised, as I said,
04:10based on what we have been hearing,
04:12a lot of people have lost their roofs.
04:14There's a lot of limestone, there are trees down.
04:16We have had landslides.
04:18And so I'm expecting some serious impact,
04:21serious effects when we get a good, clear picture tomorrow.
04:26Persons who are on the outer band of the storm,
04:29are they taking it seriously?
04:33I'd say initially there are some people who were saying
04:36it's not going to come, but as it began impacting us,
04:39people began to see how serious it is.
04:42And they have battened down, they're staying in.
04:44Some of the people I interviewed today for,
04:46our newscast, have said to me,
04:48we were prepared, but we were so scared
04:50when we heard the winds, when we saw the rain,
04:53when we saw our neighbours' roofs flying past us.
04:56We got scared.
04:56People who, they didn't lose their roofs,
04:59but they're in their houses,
05:00and I've spoken to them, and I've said,
05:02look, this situation is pretty frightening.
05:04So people have been taking it seriously,
05:06especially, I'd say, yesterday into today.
05:09People moved into shelters.
05:11Not many people did,
05:12but there are people who took it seriously enough
05:14to go to shelters,
05:15and they should now be secured.
05:18There are others who stayed at home
05:19because they felt more comfortable.
05:21But we'll find out as well
05:23that as the days progress,
05:25depending on how bad the things are,
05:27that more people will go to shelters,
05:28even after the storm has passed.
05:31Well, what's happening with the first responders?
05:34Are they able to move freely
05:36and live with situations as soon as possible?
05:39Up to today, there was activity on their part.
05:42There was one situation in Manchester
05:44where we heard about the fire department
05:46going there to get some residents
05:48who were facing serious flooding at their homes.
05:51So once it is safe,
05:53they have been going out.
05:55But as I said,
05:56now in St. John and the North Coast,
05:57we're really being battered badly by the winds.
06:01So I would say that nobody probably is out.
06:03And then the service responders are out at this time
06:05because of how heavy the winds are right now.
06:08But earlier today and in various parts,
06:10when it was possible,
06:12they went out and they did their rescue operations
06:14or other activities.
06:16Okay, but you spoke about the shelters.
06:18Are there enough space for everyone
06:20and other shelters in good condition
06:22and can it withstand the effects?
06:27There are over,
06:28there are 881 shelters across the island
06:30and there were some that they had to have people
06:33relocate from because of where the projected path.
06:38But of course,
06:39as you realize that this hurricane kept shifting
06:41and the path kept changing.
06:42So when we heard new paths for the storm,
06:47people would now be removed from some of the shelters
06:49to other shelters.
06:50So the government had been proactive
06:52in keeping an eye on the track
06:53and trying to move people away
06:54as this storm shifted and changed paths.
06:58And so people, you know,
07:01in those parts were encouraged to leave.
07:03The government also had issued a mandatory evacuation
07:05for seven communities,
07:07which are generally impacted by flooding.
07:10And buses went there to pick up the residents.
07:12Not everybody left.
07:14Some people chose to stay in their communities.
07:15So the shelters, 881 should be able to hold them.
07:22But again, this is a Category 5 storm.
07:24And so the impact and the effects would be significant.
07:28And so in the coming days,
07:30we'll get a clearer picture
07:32of how many people were so badly affected
07:35that they now need to move into shelters.
07:38And what's the atmosphere like in these shelters?
07:40I can imagine prisons are scared,
07:42people are sad.
07:44What can you tell us?
07:45How are people behaving and reacting to all of this?
07:49Well, we've not had a lot of reports at this point.
07:53I did talk to a shelter manager today
07:56and she said that people were fine in that shelter.
07:58There were just like 35 people there
08:00or just five children and 30 others
08:02in this particular shelter.
08:03But I know there are going to be other shelters
08:06with more people.
08:07But at her location, she said things were fine.
08:10The government said it had pre-positioned food
08:12and other supplies to ensure
08:13that the shelter's got them.
08:15So I have not had any negative report at this point.
08:18As I said, we're still dealing with the effects.
08:21Right now, I'm just listening to the wind outside
08:23and it's still pretty heavy.
08:25So we have not gotten a lot of reports
08:27about any negativity at any of the shelters
08:29up to this point.
08:30Okay, well, thank you so much for joining us today.
08:34We want to, again, wish you all safety
08:36and we are praying for you all at this time.
08:39Thank you so much.
08:40Thanks.
08:40Thank you so much.
08:41You're welcome.
08:41All right.
08:42You're welcome.
08:43You're welcome.
08:44Great.
08:44Good.
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