Despair spreads across historic seaport in Jamaica that Hurricane Melissa demolished

BLACK RIVER Jamaica AP The road from Jamaica s capital to the seaside town of Black River was known for its lush bamboo forest that formed a natural tunnel and glowed green in the bright sun But its famed bamboo stalks lay strewn and shredded across the road in Hurricane Melissa s aftermath Thursday forcing Jamaican soldiers to chop at them with machetes to partially reopen the main journey to Black River which the cabinet has described as the storm s ground zero Melissa came ashore just west of the town on Tuesday leaving up to of all structures in Black River without roofs as it snapped power lines and toppled concrete structures One of the strongest Atlantic hurricanes to make landfall Melissa has been blamed for at least deaths in Jamaica and in nearby Haiti In the ruins of Jamaica s Black River area people scrambled for relief People are hungry explained Monique Powell as she stood watch over a stash of grocery and household items for herself and a group of residents from Greenfield one of the countless hurricane-torn communities on the outskirts of Black River Helicopters hovered over isolated communities dropping food as crews rushed to reopen roads An influx of storm-weary people desperate for aid descended on food establishments in Black River that were giving away their goods Much of the items had become water-soaked and damaged as fierce winds from the Category storm tore through buildings and sent -foot meter sea surges crashing into aged structures Left behind was a smelly slimy mix of mud sand and seawater covering mangled cars and building fragments that lay strewn throughout the town s narrow streets Everything is gone announced Michelle Barnes as she and her -year-old daughter secured their portion of the handouts Along the muddy and narrow streets of the historic seaside town choked by debris men women and children moved briskly with multiple bags specific with boxes or any container they could find filled with relief supplies and balanced atop their heads Meanwhile teenage boys and men ferried bag after bag of supplies on motorcycles and bicycles under a sweltering afternoon sun My roof is gone and even the windows mentioned Sadique Blair as she tried to shelter from the unforgiving sun A historic port flattened Named after one of Jamaica s longest rivers Black River is one of the island s oldest towns and the first to have electricity according to Jamaica s National Heritage Trust Black River became the capital of the southern parish of St Elizabeth in the late s and served as a bustling seaport up into the s Over the years nearby towns like Santa Cruz and Junction have slowly replaced Black River as the commercial center in Jamaica s breadbasket region Specific wondered if the storm was an opportunity for Black River to rebuild and regain its former glory as the place for arrangement and commerce which had been fading with age A teary-eyed Marcia Green was seen staring at the rubble that once housed her hairdressing shop Everything has been destroyed she reported I had just bought specific new equipment and fixtures because I was about to move to a new location to refresh my business But nothing is left For multiple in the southwestern parish it s a double-dose of catastrophe In July Hurricane Beryl s outer bands battered Jamaica s southern coast The seaside communities of the southern parishes of Clarendon Manchester and St Elizabeth were the worst affected and a multitude of were still picking up the pieces when Hurricane Melissa struck A trail of deaths In the latest storm several of the deaths published in Jamaica were in St Elizabeth parish according to police In nearby Haiti officials announced at least people killed and others missing mostly in the country s southern region More than people also remained in shelters Haiti s Civil Protection Agency noted Hurricane Melissa killed at least people including children in Petit-Go ve where more than homes were damaged and others destroyed No deaths were disclosed in Cuba where the Civil Defense evacuated more than people across the eastern part of the island before the storm made landfall early Wednesday Cuban administrators broadcasted losses of roofs power lines and fiber optic telecommunications cables as well as roads cut off isolating communities and heavy losses in banana cassava and coffee plantations A great number of communities were still without electricity internet and telephone amenity Melissa made landfall in southwest Jamaica on Tuesday as a Category hurricane with top winds of mph kph It tied strength records for Atlantic hurricanes making landfall both in wind speed and barometric pressure