Peter Espeut | Hope springs eternal

Two days ago (last Wednesday) my wife and I accompanied a few friends on a journey to the isolated community of Seaford Town in deep rural Westmoreland on a mission of mercy. Hurricane Melissa made landfall in Westmoreland, and barrelled across the island exiting Jamaica east of Montego Bay, leaving devastation in its wake. Apparently the eye passed through Cambridge, St James, and we were advised not to even turn up that road.

The damage in Seaford Town was severe, and food and potable water was scarce. All roads in and out were blocked. The community cleared one route in through Struie and Lamb’s River, and not wanting to confront the carnage in St Elizabeth, we journeyed to our destination through Montego Bay, Reading, Montpelier, Chester Castle and Bethel Town.

The reports of destruction to housing, infrastructure and crops prepared us for what we saw. I had travelled to St Thomas days after Hurricane Gilbert in 1988, so I experienced déjà vu: banana and plantain trees lying flat; pieces of houses spread out downwind of the floor and foundation; splintered utility poles and downed wires beside and across the roadways – thankfully not energised (it was impossible to avoid contact with them; on more than one occasion we had to lift wires over the vehicle we were in). Clearly no JPS linesmen had yet laid eyes on the Long Hill Road (now Francis Tulloch Boulevard) from Reading through Anchovy or anywhere south of that.

TOOK EIGHT HOURS

It took us eight hours to reach Seaford Town from Kingston. This was only partly due to the road conditions. What doubled our travelling time was a convoy of well-meaning folk distributing care packages along the roadside comprehensively obstructing traffic. The several trucks with “Grace Hamilton Foundation” emblazoned on the sides were followed by cars which regularly disgorged happy volunteers with a similar message on the backs of their T-shirts, and the start and stop procedure was frustratingly repeated in the middle of the road between Montpelier and Bethel Town over several hours, including many photo ops. The cars were not interested in overtaking the trucks, and in any case, they occupied the whole roadway and left no space for passing. The policemen accompanying the cavalcade were clearly there to protect the care packages, and not to keep the traffic moving. There was nothing we could do but crawl along behind the motorcade.

It was definitely a well-needed effort – and much to be applauded – with much care for the members of the communities; but it took place with absolutely no care for other users of the road. Frustrating, to say the least!

We eventually got to our destination, but it was clear that no large vehicle before us had passed from Struie to Seaford Town. There was much scraping overhead foliage, and those who had kindly power-sawed the trees that had been blocking the roadway, could have cut them nearer the roadside.

Several of the people we spoke with told us they felt they had been forgotten by the rest of Jamaica.

HEART-BREAKING

The damage to familiar church buildings along the way was heart-breaking. The Mount Carey Baptist Church, and the Anglican and Catholic Churches at Chester Castle are roofless. Only a few stones remain of the Anglican Church of St Michael and All Angels at Rat Trap (Kew Park), and the Mount Herman Presbyterian (now United) Church at Lamb’s River is just a little better. Thankfully the grand old Bethel Town Baptist Church seems to have been spared.

But sadly, the Catholic church, rectory, convent, clinic, school, pastoral centre and trade-training centre at Seaford Town are all very badly damaged; the parish priest has been living in his car, and the supplies we brought had to be stored at the home of a generous church member. It is likely to take years and tens of millions of dollars for the church infrastructure in Seaford Town to be repaired/replaced; and much more for the livelihoods of the community members to recover.

As we began to leave, the church bell began to toll – another member had passed.

But yet, for each fallen banana and plantain tree, two or three suckers were shooting beside it, some already two-and-a-half feet tall! Hope springs eternal! Nature is restoring herself.

And so will our resilient people rise up again. Jamaicans have been through the crucible of chattel slavery, decades of a debilitating colonialism, and more than 60 years of political independence, much of it wasted by self-aggrandizing politicians and a rapacious elite. And more than one devastating hurricane! In my view whatever prosperity our people have attained is by the sweat of their brows, and the agility of their minds. And with the help of their church families which have stood by them.

My wife and I got home near midnight, weary but consoled. Resilience and thoughtful care make a good combination.

Peter Espeut is a sociologist and development scientist. Send feedback to columns@gleanerjm.com