Part I: Homelessness to homeownership to Melissa

This is the first in a series highlighting the impact of Hurricane Melissa on the Bluefields Organic Farm and Haven View Villas and Spa , an eco-tourism facility operated by Keith R Wedderburn in Westmoreland.

In Cherry Hill, overlooking the blue waters of Bluefields Bay in Westmoreland, Keith R. Wedderburn ran a thriving business until October 28 when Category 5 Hurricane Melissa barrelled into it.

On the slope of a hillock, Wedderburn and his family operate Bluefields Organic Farm and Haven View Villas and Spa, where he serves as owner and managing director. The villas offer short- and long-term accommodation with modern amenities, alongside spa services.

“Overall, it is a wellness experience, a healthy lifestyle concept,” Wedderburn told The Gleaner.

On the farm, Wedderburn cultivates organic fruits, vegetables and herbs, not for sale but for guests to sample during tours. The property doubles as an agro-tourism and educational hub.

“We have educational tours tailored for schools, universities, and local or international guests,” Wedderburn said. “The tours mainly focus on enabling persons to know about the medicinal and nutritional value of the produce, mainly fruits, and persons also get a chance to sample them.”

That aspect of the tours is now “paralysed”. Wedderburn said, “The hurricane has hit very hard, and over 90 per cent of the trees are down.”

Rebuilding Now a Priority

When The Gleaner visited recently, the devastation was visible from the main road, stretching from the sea to the slope where the farm sits. Tours may continue, Wedderburn said, but without sampling. Rebuilding is now the priority.

Reflecting on the storm’s arrival, Wedderburn noted his experience with past hurricanes. “We have been through many storms, physically, emotionally and mentally. We would have been prepared. We went through Beryl, Ivan, Gilbert, Hurricane Sandy … and we had weathered those storms,” he said.

“For this particular storm, it’s been a Category 5. This is the only storm we didn’t know exactly the intensity, so we did our preparation. For example, the trees were trimmed. In addition, we started to harvest as many fruits as we could before the hurricane, for we realised that, once the hurricane had passed, you wouldn’t have these foods to benefit from. But the truth is, notwithstanding our level of preparation, it was far inadequate compared to the magnitude of the hurricane.”

Damage extended beyond the farm. Water-catchment pipes were destroyed, leading to flooding in the building where Wedderburn, his family and two sets of guests were sheltering.

“So, while we were there and the wind was blowing, I decided that I could not afford my window to be blown out,” he recalled. “When the wind came with intensity, I pushed back, and when it eased up, I saved some energy. I did that for actually four hours.”

“There were times I felt like giving up, but I said ‘I can’t give up, because if I give up, it’s gonna damage the window, the home is gonna be flooded. I prefer to withstand the challenge than to know that, at the end of the day, I have that to deal with’, and so I stood there.”

Others in the house struggled at another window. They panicked after seeing a vehicle upended in the yard and let go, allowing the wind to shatter the glass. Water poured in, and Wedderburn’s son sustained a cut on his forehead. Still, Wedderburn refused to yield.

“I had a mission to achieve. The mission I wanted, at the end of the hurricane, the record must be, I stood firm, and was able to withstand that hurricane because of what was happening. So I didn’t give up,” he said.

His wife handed him a hard hat. “I had the curtain in front of me. If there were splinters, the curtain would be the first line of defence. My helmet would have been a second line of defence, and I stood firm.”

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