Journalist Octavio Jones was in Jamaica documenting the fallen homes, flooded roads, and families sifting through debris after Hurricane Melissa tore apart the eastern half of the island.
That's when he felt a tug.
"I felt a little nudge on my pants, and I looked down. This kid with sort of eyes wide open," Jones recalled on "Florida Matters Live & Local." "And next thing you know, he raises arms, you know, to pick him up."
The boy was too young to understand the destruction around him.
"My first reaction is to pick him up," Jones said. "We're seeing around us, and feeling for the people of Jamaica."
Jones said it was moments like this that helped him set the tone to tell the story of what Jamaica is going through.
"I think this is what we need to do as journalists," Jones said, "to be here on the ground and to tell this story of how people are being impacted by the storm."
Unspeakable devastation
Jones is a regular contributor to WUSF. On Monday's episode, he joined ROK Hotel Kingston General Manager Amit Mahbubani and discussed the destructive impact of the hurricane on Jamaica and the Black River community.
St. Elizabeth Parish is known as the "breadbasket" of Jamaica. After the hurricane, the agricultural business in this region was severely impacted. Jones recalled the aftermath, saying as if a bomb had been dropped on this community.
"We were driving through these roads that were somewhat impassable. Trees all over the place," Jones said. "You're looking at bark that's completely ripped off the trunks as if it was some sort of wasteland. As if we were watching a movie.
"You just see homes ripped off its foundations."
In Black River, some walls were still standing tall. However, the strong wind had blown the aluminum roofs away. Jones said the destruction reminded him of Hurricane Helene and Milton from the year before.
"It was a sense of deja vu, even going back to Hurricane Ian, to what we saw in Fort Myers years ago," Jones said. "You will see them (these homes) either shattered as they were toothpicks, or you may have seen a shipping container that was once at a port, now maybe 400 yards away inland."
Hurricane Melissa changed its course at the last minute. Mahbubani was working at the ROK Hotel in Kingston, on Jamaica's southeastern coastline, when the storms rolled in. He said the damage was minimal compared to the damage in Black River.
"We prepared as best as we could, so we were able to mitigate a lot of the challenges that could have happened," Mahbubani said. "Few plants and trees, here and there, but nothing as crazy as how Black River, Westmoreland, and that side got affected."
Impact on the tourism industry
Tourism is the cornerstone of Jamaica's economy. Hurricane Melissa threatens the jobs and income of thousands of residents who rely on the industry.
On the west coast, many hotels were closed due to storm damage. Many tourism companies, such as visitjamaica.com and the Jamaica Tourist Board, have issued announcements regarding the reopening of hotels.
Mahbubani emphasized that the primary focus is on support and recovery for those affected.
"At the end of the day, we have to think about tourism workers and their families and so forth. I know a lot of relief agencies are down here helping out the west coast," Mahbubani said. "So at the end of the day, it's all hands on deck and the road to recovery."
The ROK Hotel Kingston, where Mabubani manages, has become one of the hubs for recovery workers. He explained that the hotel is now operating at full occupancy.
"We have military person staying with us, lots of different relief and charity organizations that have come down," he said. "Not just my hotel, but word on the ground is that all the hotels are pretty much at occupancy, given that everyone has come down to assist Jamaica on a whole."
The Jamaican people will need as much support as ever. The Jamaica Public Service is working to repair its infrastructure and restore electricity. The National Water Commission is working tirelessly to restore clean water availability. Mahbubani said they have been receiving Starlink donations to ensure connectivity for families to stay in touch with each other.
"The main things that I think we need right now: food, shelter, clothing, and of course, just communication," Mahbubani said. "That's really critical right now."
This story was compiled from interviews conducted by Matthew Peddie for "Florida Matters Live & Local." You can listen to the full episode here.
