Jamaica reels from Hurricane Melissa’s devastation as South Florida families await updates from loved ones

Jamaica is reeling from the devastation left behind by Hurricane Melissa, a powerful storm that tore across the island, leaving widespread damage and heartbreak in its wake.

CBS News Miami has been in touch with families living through the aftermath, including Marvin Edwards, who rode out the hurricane in Montego Bay.

“Terrifying,” Edwards told CBS News Miami. “I was nervous at one point because it kept going and going… for hours.”

He said the storm started around noon and didn’t let up until after 1:30 a.m. The winds were so intense, Edwards said he had to tie his patio doors shut with rope just to keep them from blowing off their hinges.

Drone video he shot after the storm shows the scope of the destruction: Roofs ripped off homes, streets covered in debris and flooded roadways that remain impassable.

“One side of the road is completely blocked off,” Edwards said, surveying the wreckage in his neighborhood.

Edwards, who works in Jamaica’s tourism industry, told CBS News Miami that the storm is already having an economic impact.

“I have a large group — a wedding party of over 30 people — and they messaged me this morning saying, ‘Hey, we have to cancel,'” he said.

He predicts it could take years for the island to fully recover.

“It seemed so unreal, but it was real,” Edwards said. “It felt like a scene from a movie.”

South Floridians await updates from loved ones unaccounted for

While Edwards and his family are safe, many South Floridians with loved ones in Jamaica are still waiting for updates.

Pauline Walters, who lives in Pembroke Pines, said her family in Manchester Parish — one of the hardest-hit areas near St. Elizabeth — hasn’t all been accounted for.

“There are others we haven’t heard from yet,” Walters said. “It’s kind of nerve-wracking not knowing because I’ve heard the news about people who are homeless, people who are hurt, people who are dying. So, I’m hoping and praying they’re okay.”

Walters had planned to travel to Jamaica this week for her annual visit, but said her focus has shifted to helping from here at home.

“The library in Pembroke Pines is collecting goods, so I’m going to go shopping and deliver things,” she said. “I’m going to send lots of water because during a storm like this, the water gets contaminated.”

Across South Florida, community organizations and local leaders are launching donation drives to send relief supplies to Jamaica. 

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