At the mercy of nature': How the Caribbean is dealing with the unprecedented Hurricane Melissa

"Hurricane Melissa was a historic climate event. This country has faced some difficult storms, Natricia said, but by all accounts this was different. I spoke to people in their 60s and they said to me, again and again, I have never heard anything like this in my life'. Last week, Natricia visited one of the most affected areas in the south-west of Jamaica. It's hard to put into words, she said about what she saw."

"The area was cut off from the rest of Jamaica due to landslides, flooding, debris. As she was driving through a river, she realised it was actually not a body of water but flooding. Almost every single building had suffered some level of damage, she said. People were telling us there used to be a shop here or a restaurant there and now there is nothing, not even evidence that these places existed."

Hurricane Melissa was a historic climate event that produced record-breaking strength and severe flooding across the Caribbean, including Santo Domingo. Jamaica bore the brunt, with the south-west, including St Elizabeth, cut off by landslides, debris and inundation. Almost every building experienced damage; many shops and restaurants disappeared, likely swept into the sea. Prolonged storm buildup generated intense fear and prolonged anxiety, complicating preparedness. Roads and bridges were submerged or destroyed, isolating communities and hindering rescue and assessment. The scale of destruction overwhelmed local capacity and will require extensive recovery and infrastructure rebuilding.

Read at www.theguardian.com