OLD HARBOUR, Jamaica – People across Jamaica have been opening up to FOX Weather Correspondent Robert Ray, as he traverses the country to highlight stories about strength, pain and resilience after Hurricane Melissa.
After reporting on the impacts of Melissa from the days leading up to the storm and through landfall, Ray is now covering the aftermath of the Category 5 storm, showing downed power lines, destroyed homes and mud-caked streets.
HURRICANE MELISSA SLAMS JAMAICA AS A HISTORIC CATEGORY 5 STORM
Ray also spoke with residents trying to navigate this most difficult situation.
In St. Ann Parish in northern Jamaica, Ray spoke with a woman who broke down as she described what Melissa took from her.
Woman breaks down while speaking with Robert Ray.
(Robert Ray / FOX Weather)
“I lose everything,” she said.
“What will you do now?” Ray asked.
“I don’t know where to start from,” she responded. “I just need some help to put by myself.”
“Are you okay?” Ray asked.
“No,” the woman said, as she began to tear up. “It’s terrible.”
One man described the damage Melissa caused in his neighborhood in St. Ann Parish.
Jamaicans are reeling from the devastation caused by Hurricane Melissa, after it barreled through the island on Tuesday. FOX Weather Correspondent Robert Ray spoke with residents in St. Ann Parish about how their lives were upended by the historic storm.
“All over, it’s a wreck,” he told Ray. “A lot of houses been wrecked. Lots of families been outside, nowhere to sleep, no food to eat. We just hope and pray for the best and beg God to cover us.”
Jamaicans along the southern coast also shared their experiences with Ray.
While he was in the town of Old Harbour, where residents were suffering through power outages and no access to clean water, Ray spoke with a police officer who shared his thoughts on the storm and recovery efforts.
Ray speaks with police officer.
(Robert Ray / FOX Weather)
“We are a resilient people, us Jamaicans,” he said. “So, we are putting ourselves together, irrespective of what happened. We are staying strong.”
Melissa made landfall almost 80 miles northwest of Old Harbor near the town of New Hope early Tuesday afternoon with maximum sustained winds of 185 mph. As the death toll climbs in the wake of Melissa, officials announced it was the strongest storm on record to hit Jamaica.
