Hurricane Melissa is devastating Jamaica, cutting off communication for many families. Including one man still hasn’t heard from his family.
“It’s scary because it’s the beginning this was the beginning of what’s going to happen and all these massive trees are broken in half in the beginning, just imagine what’s going to happen,” said Barrington Lewis.
Lewis is a Jamaican native, with a majority of his family still living on the island.
With Hurricane Melissa hitting land on Tuesday as a Category 5, Lewis says the silence from his family has been deafening.
“When was the last time that you’ve spoken to anyone from Jamaica?”
“Two days ago before the hurricane actually hit land and so it hit land today and so far nothing,” said Lewis.
Lewis says last he heard, his family was taking shelter indoors as they try to wait out the hurricane.
But videos from his family show, the storm isn’t stopping anytime soon.
According to the Red Cross, coordinations are currently in place with the International Federation of Red Cross and Red Crescent Societies to determine how to properly assist.
In a statement, the Red Cross says in part quote,
“We are supporting an Emergency Family Assistance Center at Naval Air Station Pensacola to assist with the evacuation of U.S. citizens ahead of impacts from Hurricane Melissa. We are always grateful for the generosity of our community. At this time, as the full scope of humanitarian impacts is not clear, we are not accepting donated items for this operation.”
As communication efforts continue to be exhausted, Lewis says all he can do now is rely on the local news and YouTube videos.
“I have plenty of relatives down there and tons of friends, people that love me and people I love so I have to keep them in my prayers and in my heart,” said Lewis.
If you’re in need of assistance contacting a family member impacted by Hurricane Melissa, click here.
Click here to learn more about what the Red Cross’s relief efforts.
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