BLACK RIVER, JAMAICA ¨C A demolished church, roofs blown off homes, shattered windows and debris-strewn, impassable roads: Hurricane Melissa dealt a direct hit to Jamaica¡¯s southwestern coastal communities that face a long haul picking up the pieces.
¡°It has been devastating,¡± officer Warrell Nicholson said by phone from the Black River police station, a building that was damaged but has still become something of a refuge for people seeking shelter.
Footage of the area shows felled trees, smashed cars, downed power lines and ruined homes ¡ª a portrait of wreckage that is only starting to come clear as assessment is hampered by a lack of power and communications across the Caribbean island.
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