After Hurricane Melissa, Nantucket's Jamaican Community Waits And Worries

Sitting in the lobby of the Jared Coffin House, more than 1,600 miles away from his home in Jamaica, all Anthony Litchmore could do this week was worry as he waited for news from his home island.

Litchmore's family is from the St. Elizabeth Parish, one of the areas hardest hit by Hurricane Melissa, the most powerful storm ever to make landfall on Jamaica. With all of the country’s cellular networks down as a result of the devastating hurricane, Litchmore had not heard from his family or one of his two young daughters, who were caught directly in its path. On Wednesday, his neighbor in St. Elizabeth briefly got internet service and sent him a photo of his family's home. The roof was gone.

“It is so scary,” said Litchmore, who has worked in hospitality on Nantucket since 2016. “The whole top is completely blown off. I’m not sure how they are managing. All the trees around the house, all of them is flat, knocked over.”

Litchmore is a member of Nantucket's large Jamaican community who watched in dread as Hurricane Melissa - a Category 5 storm with winds in excess of 180 mph - approached the island nation from the south. Now he is one of many who are searching in vain for answers about their loved ones, their homes, and the communities they left behind in Jamaica.

Nantucket resident Sobrena Colbert, who works at Cumberland Farms and Congdon & Coleman, was among them. Her family hails from the Black River in Saint Elizabeth Parish, an area that was close to where Hurricane Melissa made landfall. Colbert's grandfather, brother, niece, nephew, and cousins all still live there.

"Since we heard from them around 11 a.m. yesterday, it was before the eye even reached them, right as the impact was happening, they told us, 'oh, the roof is gone from the house'," Colbert said. "We don't know anything else after that, it was silent. My family, we're praying, we're praying, we're praying. And then yesterday, it was just like, it's literally (hitting) us. So I just, I just broke down. I couldn't. I was at work, but I just couldn't. My brain started going all over the place."

Colbert was born in Jamaica, but came to the United States with her immediate family when she was young, and graduated from Nantucket High School. Now 29, her connection with her extended family and her home country remain strong.

"So we can't sleep because we're up thinking, 'what's happening? What's happening? We don't know," Colbert said. "Our minds are racing even more. We just don't know, and that's the biggest problem. So it's the uncertainty. I just don't know how to feel. We're trying to be strong, but we just need to make sure they're okay."

In other areas of Jamaica that were farther away from the direct path of Hurricane Melissa, residents are starting to get word out about the extent of the damage. Nantucket resident Sasha-Gaye Messado, who has worked with Nantucket Island Resorts since 2017, managed to hear from her children who were staying with their aunt near Hanover, Jamaica.

"They were terrified," Messado said. "They went through a lot of storms that passed, and she said it was the worst she has ever seen. My mom had to hold on to her window for probably two hours...My grandfather is 89 and his place was totally destroyed. He has pretty much nothing. Everything is just damaged...It's really devastated. I've never seen anything like it. I've went through storms before. Nothing like this."

Messado and Litchmore are now trying to book flights back to Jamaica, but there is no immediate indication when commercial airlines will resume taking passengers to the island. Litchmore has started a GoFundMe page to help him and his family rebuild.

Across Nantucket, where numerous island businesses employ Jamaican citizens and Jamaican expats, there have been numerous appeals for assistance to help them rebuild in the wake of Hurricane Melissa.

"Our Jamaican guys need your help," Moors End Farm wrote in a social media post. "As you know Hurricane Melissa devastated Jamaica yesterday and, though we haven’t heard from them yet, we know these men will need to rebuild in the coming days. Please help these hard-working men who grow the best veggies for us all summer. There’s a box out at the vegetable stand or you can Venmo @moorsendfarm and we will be sure to send where needed. Let’s take care of those who take care of us."

The Jamaican government has established a dedicated website at www.supportjamaica.gov.jm to channel and coordinate relief efforts in the aftermath of Hurricane Melissa. 

In addition, several Nantucket residents have shared GoFundMe pages that are aimed at assisting specific regions of Jamaica with connections to Nantucket. They are listed and linked below with messages from those who sent them in: 

• "Our family’s hometown has been completely destroyed and we still cannot locate our family. Our small town of Black River, St. Elizabeth, got the direct hit of Hurricane Melissa because of its southwest coastal location," - Sobrena Colbert. Urgent Relief for Kay's Hometown in Jamaica
• "Plenty of Jamaican families on-island are from this exact parish, so it’s like rebuilding our home," - Liela Marrett. Urgent Help : Help Trelawny Families Rebuild After Melissa
• "As many of you know, a large part of our Jamaican community resides here on Nantucket. We make up much of the hardworking population that keeps this island running — and we know how much love and support this community has always shown us. Right now, we feel helpless and heartbroken. Many of us are unable to return home, watching from afar as our families and friends in Jamaica face unimaginable loss. My own family, and those of many other Jamaicans here on Nantucket, have been directly affected. Our mission is simple — to reach and support every family back home who has been impacted by Hurricane Melisa, and beyond," - Peticea Murray. Support Jamaica's Families Affected by Hurricane Melisa
• "Hurricane Melissa hit Jamaica earlier this week — the strongest storm to ever reach the island. Many of our own Lemon Press team members, along with countless others, have families who’ve been directly impacted. We’ve created a GoFundMe to support those in our community who need immediate help. Our goal is to get funds directly into their hands so they can begin rebuilding as soon as possible," Lemon Press Nantucket. Support Our Nantucket Families Affected by Melissa
• "My name is Terry-Ann Smith and I live in Montego Bay, Jamaica. Words cannot express how devastated I am to know that I've worked so hard for all I had and in a matter of hours I lost it all to Hurricane Melissa. I am now left to pick up the pieces to what seem like a nightmare. My kids are without a home, clothes, food or furniture. Like the rest of Jamaica, I am dedicated to working hard to rebuild my home and hope for myself and my kids and I need your help to cross the finish line." Terry-Ann is a seasonal employee at the Anglers' Club on Nantucket. Help Terry-Ann Rebuild After Hurricane Melissa