T&T mobilises support for Jamaica as monster storm leaves trail of death and destruction

As Hurricane Melissa moves into the Atlantic and begins to weaken, residents of Jamaica are struggling to comprehend the extent of the death and destruction she has caused.For Jamaican national Leon Crooks, the passage of the hurricane will forever be etched in his memory, a night of terror, chaos, and survival.“It was a nightmare experience, the winds sounded like wailing, the windows and doors, it did not matter if you battened them up, any little space and water came in, you really could not imagine it,” Crooks recalled yesterday.

Also speaking with Guardian Media yesterday, president of the UWI Mona Trinidad and Tobago Student Association, Breanna Bethel, said that with the worst now behind them, students from T&T are rallying behind affected people to lend a helping hand.

 Prime Minister Kamla Persad-Bissessar had instructed officials to extend immediate support to Jamaica.

“The Prime Minister says whatever our Caribbean neighbours need and we can provide, we will provide it. After meeting with CEDEMA (Caribbean Disaster Emergency Management Agency), we will know if to deploy human resources to assist,” he said.Alexander told Guardian Media yesterday that a shipment of relief items is expected to be dispatched today (Thursday).“We have already started loading containers and one might leave as early as tomorrow (today) for Jamaica in a bid to ease the burdens placed on them by this natural disaster. It will be the first in many.”Foreign and Caricom Affairs Minister Sean Sobers added that the Government is reviewing a list of priority relief items provided by Jamaican authorities to ensure that assistance meets the most urgent needs.