Hurricane Melissa: hope in the aftermath

Rev Conrad Thomas has a phobia of hurricanes, so when he heard that Hurricane Melissa was predicted to make landfall in Jamaica in November of last year, he began taking every precaution he could. Still, nothing could have prepared him for the devastation that was unleashed by the Category 5 storm.

Having lived through Hurricane Gilbert, which had killed over 300 people across Jamaica and the Gulf of Mexico in 1998, Rev Thomas tried to mentally prepare himself for a disaster of that magnitude. On the morning of the hurricane, he recalls the city of Montego Bay and its surrounding communities as beautiful, peaceful, sunny and calm. Then the rain began, steady and unrelenting, soon joined by winds that were boisterous, ferocious and angry. “I looked outside and the trees were feeling the full extent of Melissa's wrath, and then it turned on my house,” he explains. "Every door was shaking and the windows were vibrating. A door flew open and my wife and I had to hold it for over three hours because the breeze broke the bolt off.”

Hurricane Gilbert caused over $3 billion in damage. The World Bank estimates that “the physical damage to Jamaica caused by Hurricane Melissa totals US$8.8 billion – equivalent to 41 per cent of the country’s 2024 GDP – making it the costliest hurricane in Jamaica’s recorded history.”

Rev Thomas describes the hurricane as howling with sounds unlike anything he had ever heard. “It was as though it had a voice,” he shares. "[My] children were terrified. They were screaming, crying, praying and confessing.” Later that night, when the rain eased and the winds finally calmed, they still could not see outside but contacted a neighbour who told them part of her roof had blown away. She came to stay with the family.

At first light, they were met with complete devastation. Rev Thomas attempted to make his way to Salt Spring Baptist Church, a member church of the Jamaica Baptist Union (JBU), where he serves as pastor. When a single lane was cleared the following day, he travelled to Salt Spring.

“When I reached there, Salt Spring was flattened. The road was covered with power lines and trees, and people were just standing amazed,” he said. "When I got to the church, the entire roof was gone. We lost everything inside.” He reached out to as many church members as possible. Many had suffered severe losses; most had lost roofs, and those in wooden structures had lost everything.

It’s estimated that around 45 people in Jamaica lost their lives to the storm. Rev Thomas is convinced it was only the mercy of God that prevented greater casualty numbers. He recounted the story of a 95-year-old woman who lives alone and lost her roof, with only one room spared. She too believes it was the Lord's protection that saved her.

Several weeks on from the disaster, Rev Thomas is still coming to terms what’s happened. “Right now we are reeling and trying to pick up the pieces. We are without connectivity, still without light, still without water, but the resilient spirit, faith and determination to start again are there.”

Marline Corbett-White, who lost part of her roof during the storm, knew she needed assistance but was not sure where it would come from until the church reached out. “When I got the care package from church it was just what I needed to put us back in a good place,” she shared. "I am so grateful, and I had to say, 'God, we are still in this, but you are looking out for your people!’"

Through the entire ordeal, Rev Thomas says the most heartwarming thing has been the turnout for church services. “We have a really good turnout and the spirit is high,” he explains. He believes the disaster has drawn the congregation closer, fostering gratitude even amid loss. "When you listen to the singing, when you hear the testimonies, when you see the peace on people's faces… they have lost a lot, but there is a sense of peace, and I believe this is the peace that passes all human understanding.”

This story was provided by Baptist World Aid and adapted for the BMS World Mission audience.