When Hurricane Melissa tore through Jamaica, few places were spared. In the quiet community of Balaclava in St. Elizabeth Parish, the storm didn’t just topple trees. It tore through homes, fields, and livelihoods.
Devy Allen still remembers the sound.
“Hurricane Melissa was a horrible hurricane,” she said. “It’s one that no one wants to experience again.”
From the nearby town of Oxford to the hills of Rose Valley, roofs were ripped away. Power lines snapped in two. Coconut, banana, and breadfruit trees, once heavy with fruit, now lie uprooted. Families who depended on these crops face bare ground where abundance once grew.
“Some persons have nowhere to live,” Devy said. “We have no farms. All the trees are gone. Coconut, breadfruit, plantain—all uprooted. It is terrible. It’s devastating. We don’t know when we will come back on foot again.”
Even as she surveys the wreckage, Devy’s words turn to gratitude.
“But God is good,” she said. “We will survive because God is our help and our strength. In His Word, He said that He is our present help in time of trouble.”
Despite all that’s been lost, Devy’s heart is full of thanks—for life, for mercy, and for the help already arriving.
“We who are alive, we are giving God thanks,” she said. “Thank you, Lord, for sparing us. Thank you that we can help each other. Thank you for Send Relief and for the care packages. God bless you all. I pray your store baskets will never go empty.”
Across Jamaica, pastors and church members are serving neighbors like Devy with food, water, and temporary shelter. Powered by the church and supported by Send Relief, these believers are meeting both physical and spiritual needs in the aftermath of the storm.
“Thank you for life,” Devy said softly. “Thank you for mercy.”
Even here, where the wind has stripped away almost everything, faith still stands.
Urgent Help. Eternal Hope.
Learn more at SendRelief.org/Melissa.
Published November 13, 2025