HURRICANE MELISSA UPDATE

Our Jamaica Mission Team received an email update from Pauline Russell, the Superintendent of Catholic Schools from the Diocese of Mandeville: 
The cleanup after the hurricane has been very intense. It has also been difficult to get in touch with staff members, as the cell network is down, and there is no internet or power in most areas. St. Margaret Mary Church and School, St. Philomena School, and Annunciation School and Church sustained minimal damage. St. Philomena was used as a shelter for staff members in that area.
However, major damage occurred in St. Elizabeth, Manchester, Westmoreland, Trelawny, St. James, Hanover, and St. Ann — the parishes under the care of Bishop John Persaud. The sea has engulfed St. Teresa Basic School, its church, and rectory in Black River. The roof of the Home for the Aged in Balaclava was blown off, and St. Anthony Basic School suffered roof damage and the loss of water tanks. Maggoty Rectory, Convent, and Hall lost their roofs completely, as did the Santa Cruz Clinic. Sacred Heart Academy also sustained roof damage. These are just a few examples of the destruction across our Diocese of Mandeville.
Bishop Persaud, who also serves as the Administrator for the Diocese of Montego Bay, reports that the situation there is equally severe, with several churches losing their roofs. My sister’s home in Montego Bay was badly damaged — windows, water tank, solar water heater, and even her car windows were destroyed. It is truly a disaster.
We will provide more detailed updates once we have a better handle on the situation. At present, we are still gathering information. Some areas remain inaccessible, and communication challenges persist. We have been on alert— first waiting for Hurricane Melissa, which lingered and intensified before finally making landfall. Thankfully, it came during the day and not at night; otherwise, more lives might have been lost.
Thank you once again for your concern. Please continue to keep us in your prayers. Many of us still have relatives and friends we have not yet heard from.