Burchell cries for South St James

South St James Member of Parliament Nekeisha Burchell made an emotional plea for her constituency yesterday, during the People's National Party's post Hurricane Melissa press conference at the Office of the Leader of the Opposition.

Burchell, who unsuccessfully tried to fight back her tears, begged for attention to be turned to her battered constituency.

"We are poor people ... we are humble, we are hard workers, we don't normally ask for anything, so this is new territory for us. Asking for support and help is not because we're lazy or not industrious people. It's because we've been put in a situation that Melissa came directly. We got full Hurricane Melissa category 5 across every inch of South St James. No one was spared," she said.

Burchell recounted that residents who were marooned in Catadupa were promised food by a donor, but were instead provided with Starlink.

"The people were so disappointed. The young people were grateful for the Wi-Fi, but the older folks... they knew that without food, in the next couple of days, things would be bad. That has been one of the worst experiences I've had -- watching people looking up at a helicopter waiting to receive food and no food come," she said.

Burchell said that on the ground, soldiers have been doing their best, but the system is flawed. Residents have to fill out forms before receiving food packages, and in many areas, the elderly and disabled can't reach the distribution points. She said a pregnant woman from Maroon Town was trapped for days after the storm.

"When she finally got to the hospital, they said they couldn't keep her the facility was damaged. So she had to go back home, only to return the next day to deliver the baby. But now, her home is totally destroyed. Where do I send her? The Adventist Church she was staying in is gone. She's now sleeping on what used to be the bottom of the church," she said. Burchell said most of the work that has been done to clear roadways was done by residents with their own tools, but they have reached their capacity. She also called for capable vehicles like Jamaica Defence Force jeeps to be used instead of large trucks, which can't navigate the landslides and damaged roads. Burchell expressed gratitude to service groups like the Rotary Club, which she said quietly offered help.

"They brought food and water and committed to bringing tarpaulins. Some of our people are literally looking at the stars at night they have no roofs," she said.

Having only recently taken office, Burchell admitted that the devastation has been an overwhelming baptism of fire.

"When they say hit the ground running, they actually put me on a treadmill. I knew tough days would come, but we're looking at tough months ahead. I don't foresee us getting electricity in most parts of South St James till next year. Some classrooms are destroyed, and others are being used as shelters. But we're Sam Sharpe descendants, we're resilient," she said. Burchell said she is now trying to bring a sense of normalcy back to the children who have lost their homes and schools.

"One of the things I've been asking donors for is toys," she said. "I want to distract the kids from the reality they're facing. I don't want their childhood to be destroyed by Hurricane Melissa. We may have to go back to learning under the tree, under tents but we've done it before, and we can do it again."