As recovery efforts continue after Hurricane Melissa’s devastating landfall, St John Ambulance Jamaica and the JN Foundation mobilized more than 250 volunteers over the weekend to deliver critical medical care and relief to nearly 800 residents in the hardest-hit parts of St Elizabeth and Westmoreland.
The outreach, supported by the Jamaica Automobile Association (JAA)—a JN Group member company—provided both transport and essential communication support, setting up Starlink Wi-Fi connections in communities still cut off from electricity and internet services.
Volunteers, including trained first aid responders and medical personnel, treated numerous residents—particularly the elderly—who lost their prescribed medication during the storm, as well as others suffering from untreated injuries sustained during Melissa’s passage. With several roads still impassable and hospitals operating beyond capacity, many residents had not been able to seek medical care until the volunteers arrived.
Among those assisted was Vincent Wilson, an elderly resident of Barton Wharf in Lacovia, St Elizabeth, who was trapped in a collapsing wooden house during the hurricane. He was rescued by his neighbor Nicholas Morgan and his family.
“When we go over there, he was trapped in a closet… Him go under there (the wardrobe/closet) to look shelter, but the house tumble down and [trap him],” Mr Morgan explained to a group of JN volunteers.
Mr Morgan and his family cut through a fence to reach Mr Wilson and managed to pull him from the wreckage. “He barely could walk because him cramp, but we shoulder him until we get him [across],” he said. Mr Wilson, who is diabetic, lost all his medication during the storm and is now staying with the Morgans.
Volunteers also met Ramorio Solomon from Rice Piece, who was injured in a motorcycle accident while navigating damaged roads, and Romeo Wright, who hurt his chest while carrying his elderly mother-in-law, Meleta Harris, to safety after the roof of her home blew off. Harris, who suffers from diabetes, hypertension, and kidney and heart conditions, also lost her medication.
“The first me a feel them pain here from me on Earth,” Wright said, pointing to his chest while continuing to help other men repair Harris’s roof.
Another resident, Norris Campbell, severely injured his left index finger when a door slammed on it during the storm. With no medical supplies available, he used only hydrogen peroxide to clean the wound before joining neighbors to clear fallen trees.
Duane Ellis, CEO of St John Ambulance Jamaica, praised the “tremendous outpouring of support” from volunteers, which included JN Group employees, members of Kiwanis International, and students from the University of Technology, Jamaica and The University of the West Indies, Mona.
“The response by volunteers was overwhelming, and because of that we have been able to conduct a very good information gathering on the needs in these communities, in respect of both the medical and welfare needs, so that targeted assistance can be provided in coordination with the Ministry of Health and Wellness and other agencies,” Ellis said.
The data collected will guide ongoing relief and recovery efforts as the state and partner agencies work to restore services and support those most affected.
Earl Jarrett, chairman of St John Ambulance and CEO of the JN Group, reminded volunteers of the importance of compassion and respect during recovery.
“Be empathetic. What you are doing is beyond what is expected,” he said, urging them to preserve the dignity of survivors as they rebuild their lives.
