‘Piles of debris and lingering flood waters’: BBC team arrives in Kingstonpublished at 16:11 GMT
16:11 GMT
Brandon Drenon
Reporting from Jamaica
As the news briefing from officials continues, we can bring you the latest update from our BBC team:
We’ve just arrived in Kingston’s main airport on one of the first few commercial flights since Hurricane Melissa pummelled through and damaged parts of the airport days ago.
It was surreal passing over the idyllic turquoise blue waters and lush green tree-covered mountains, knowing what lies below.
The greater Kingston area has mostly been spared, but to the west – particularly in parts of St Elizabeth parish – large swathes of the region have been decimated.
That’s where we’re headed. At least, we’ll try.
Roads are still being cleared, many for the first time. Blocked by piles of debris and lingering flood waters, some areas remain inaccessible.
We’ll be navigating all the unpredictability of a terrain that has just been hit by the strongest hurricane in Jamaican history.