St Elizabeth farmer offers his house to community for shelter as Hurricane Melissa nears

When strong winds from Hurricane Melissa began threatening the farming district of Flagaman in southern St Elizabeth, Nasheo Blake did something few would dare in the face of danger -- he gave up his own home so others could have a place to sleep.

"Mi have to give the community who live in zinc shelter my house," Blake said.

"Right now a Mitchie Bar mi a shelter because the community shelter is not convenient."

Blake, a small melon farmer, said he had to sleep in Red Bank on Sunday night after offering his house to vulnerable neighbours whose dwellings could not withstand the storm.

"There is no shelter for people. They provide a bus [to transport people to the nearest shelter], but there is no shelter," he lamented.

The Flagaman resident said official emergency shelters in Pedro Plains and Junction remain closed, as only partial repairs were done since previous storms.

"Down by Pedro Plains the roof flew off the last time. They fix back part of it, but they don't fix back the whole of it. Junction and Pedro Plains shelters are closed," he explained.

As Hurricane Melissa, now a Category 5 system, barrels toward Jamaica's southern coast, Blake's story underscores the dire situation faced by many rural residents.

Community members are appealing for urgent repairs to shelters and stronger support from the St. Elizabeth Municipal Corporation and the Office of Disaster Preparedness and Emergency Management (ODPEM) to ensure no one is left exposed to the storm.

- Albert Ferguson

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