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A Regina restaurant owner says he hasn’t been sleeping since Hurricane Melissa tore across Jamaica this week, cutting off communities and destroying houses in his home parish of Clarendon.
Walleston “Wally” Stephenson, who runs Wally B’s Jamaican Jerk Chicken in Regina, said his family and friends are among the thousands left without power and running water after one of the strongest storms to hit the island in recent years made its landfall.
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“Roofs are gone, cars washed away, and whole roads look like rivers,” Stephens said in an interview. “It’s heartbreaking to watch from far away.”
Melissa made landfall in the Parish of St. Elizabeth this week as a category 5 hurricane, bringing torrential rain and winds exceeding 250 kilometres an hour along with it. Steveson said the storm’s intensity grew as it hovered almost motionless over the Caribbean Sea, feeding off warm waters before being pushed inland by a cold front from the United States.
“Melissa sat almost still for hours, spinning and building strength,” he said. “That’s why it was so destructive when it finally moved.”
Stephensonsaid roughly 80 per cent of Jamaica remains without electricity or water, and many major roads have been washed out or split in two. Entire towns, he added, have been cut off by deep ponds and collapsed bridges, leaving rescue crews struggling to reach people still trapped in remote areas.
He said watching videos and photos of flooded streets, destroyed homes and stranded residents made the devastation feel even more personal.
“Every time I close my eyes, I can see it happening in real time,” he said. “Because I’ve been through a hurricane like this, I know exactly what they’re feeling.”
Stephens grew up in Lionel Town, Claredon, an area that often lies in the direct path of storms. He said his community was struck by Hurricane Gilbert in 1988, another category 5 storm that caused widespread destruction.
“My roof blew off while I was in bed,” he recalled. “I found it the next morning on my neighbour’s house.”
Stephenson said Hurricane Melissa appears to have caused even greater damage. The country’s leading sugarcane and banana-growing regions were flattened, he said, and crocodiles and snakes have been displaced from their flooded habitats and driven into towns and villages.
He said government officials have confirmed at least seven deaths, with four bodies found in St. Elizabeth, the area hit hardest by the storm. Damaged roads and debris have slowed the relief effort.
From his restaurant in Regina, Stephenson said he hopes to team up with other members of Saskatchewan’s Jamaican community in Saskatchewan to launch a fundraiser once communication with the island improves.
“I want to do something through the restaurant once I know my family’s safe,” he said. “Even if it’s small, it could help someone get back on their feet.”
Despite the devastation, Stephens said he has faith Jamaica will recover.
“Keep the fight up. We’re a strong nation and we’ll come out victorious at the end,” he said. “We just need to work together and not lose hope.”
