Minister says parish of St Elizabeth is ‘under water’ and that families are trapped in their homes in the community of Black River in western Jamaica
Hurricane Melissa has made landfall as a category 5 storm in Jamaica, battering the country with ferocious winds, heavy flood waters and landslides from one of the strongest Atlantic hurricanes in history.
Jamaica’s minister of local government, Desmond Mckenzie, said on Tuesday afternoon that the south-western parish of St Elizabeth was “under water” and that at least three families were trapped in their homes in the community of Black River in western Jamaica. Emergency services were struggling to reach due them to the dangerous conditions, he said. He declined to confirm whether there were any deaths.
