PICKING UP THE PIECES

DR DONOVAN Bennett, the president of the Jamaica Cricket Association (JCA), has revealed the profound personal and communal devastation wrought by Hurricane Melissa, even as he assures that cricket in the southern parishes remains resilient.

Speaking on the Mason and Guest radio talk show in Barbados recently, a sombre Dr Bennett painted a stark picture of the destruction in the parishes of St Elizabeth and Westmoreland, with the eye of the storm passing mere hundreds of yards from his own home.

“The eye of the storm literally passed a couple of hundred yards from where I live,” Dr Bennett stated.

“So everyone in that particular area suffered really devastating losses. I mean, there is hardly a roof in the town that is intact. It’s total devastation here. It’s like starting life all over again.”

The JCA president’s personal losses are severe. He reported losing the roofs of two houses and his safari boat tour business on the Black River, one of the areas that was most impacted.

“All the boats are gone. We are trying to locate them because there was a tremendous surge of water that came into the town of Black River. It’s 13 feet high, and it literally dispersed boats all over. So, you know, people are still walking around trying to find the boats.”

The storm’s impact has also touched members of the Jamaican cricketing fraternity. Former Test vice captain Jermaine Blackwood and national wicketkeeper Romaine Morris are both from the affected areas, even as they are currently with the Super50 Cup team in Trinidad.

Despite the widespread damage, there is a glimmer of hope for the sport itself. Dr Bennett confirmed that the cricket grounds in the south of the island did not sustain critical structural damage, primarily because they lack the major infrastructure of larger stadiums.

“The cricket grounds in the area are mostly water-damaged. All the grounds in this part of the world don’t really have significant infrastructure. It may be just a ground with changing rooms and a small restaurant-like set-up; you wouldn’t find a stadium in this part of the country.”

With cleanup efforts ongoing across the region, Dr Bennett indicated that the JCA is preparing to launch a recovery initiative to aid the cricketing community and help rebuild the sporting spirit in the devastated parishes.

“Right now it’s all about cleanup, but I assure you that we will be taking some initiative to help with the recovery process as an association.”

The association aims to support not only the rebuilding of facilities but also to aid affected players and staff.