WATCH: A resident of Accompong says he feared the historic Maroon village would be “wiped off the map” as Hurricane Melissa tore through St Elizabeth. “I didn’t think I was going to make it out alive,” he shared, describing the violent winds that battered the community. Colonel Richard Currie says the settlement was hit by what many have described as “almost a giant tornado,” leaving about 80 per cent of homes uninhabitable and residents, especially elders, deeply shaken. “There are a lot of persons who are still in trauma,” he said. Relief was slow in the early days, but Currie says more supplies are now reaching the community. “We continue to look forward to whatever comes,” he noted, stressing that food, water and shelter remain the most urgent needs as people struggle to protect what little belongings they have left. #HurricaneMelissa #Jamaica #JamaicaObserver #MelissaAftermath #Melissa