Jamaican family torn apart by Hurricane Melissa

“The last thing I said to my sister was I called her and said, 'Stay safe, sister. Stay safe.' And I said, 'I love you.' And that was it. ''The sisters have just returned to their home outside Black River, Jamaica, days after a Category 5 hurricane devastated their community and tore families apart. “They said, 'Let's make a chain.'” “It's like this.” “You want to hold each other.'' “You want to hold each other.'' “My grandson, he was the one who took us out because the water wasn't that high. So we were trying to escape.'' When Hurricane Melissa made landfall, Boleen Barrett was swept away by a blast of seawater. She was the mother of four children. “Where was your sister's body found?'' “There it is, over the bushes.'' “Was it like a wave that just hit?'' “That's when it swept her away.'' The storm is known to have killed at least 28 people, but the impact on people's lives was even greater. Thousands of people have now been forced to evacuate, with little food or water, and aid is slow to arrive. Just outside Black River, Nicole Gordy and her partner, Oliver Stewart, were found sheltering in their car along the road next to the ruins of their home. They told us they barely survived. Just over a year ago, a Category 4 hurricane hit these same coasts, and the community was still recovering. This time, the need is greater and more urgent as many people are stuck without basic necessities as days pass. The Jamaican government is leading international aid efforts. The first supply convoy arrived in Black River on November 1st, with airlifts to more isolated communities scheduled in the coming days.