International reggae superstar Sean Paul has expressed that the enormity of the recovery work required in the wake of Hurricane Melissa is absolutely staggering.
The award-winning performer described the Category Five storm as "very frightening, particularly for my children."
"That's the first time they've seen trees dance like that and the wind howl like that," he said. "They remain shocked still, and deeply affected. And can you imagine the children who are in the heart of it? It seems like you're in the a bygone era."
Winds reaching 185mph (295 km/h) resulted in at least 28 deaths. The artist and his loved ones were in the capital Kingston, while regions further west endured the most severe damage.
Firsthand Experience and Community Impact
The singer stated: "It is really difficult to bear. We were not impacted in Kingston very hard, but it was frightening. And you're wondering, at any minute now could there be, you know, some tree that falls and blows your roof off?"
"That happened to friends of mine in Montego Bay. They've lost entirely their whole roof, and they're still in the thick of it assisting people there, ensuring that food gets to and clothes are delivered to [people]. Everyone's belongings is all covered in mud and it's hard to think about something positive at this time."
Paul has pledged $50,000 (£38,000) to double donations to Food For The Poor Jamaica, and described the devastation as "an extremely astonishing situation."
"After days and days of outreach and trying to assist in different ways, on Saturday I broke down," he confessed.
"It's just the amount of energy it takes, and the depression that starts to set in, and then you have to pull yourself out of it because there's so very much to be done that we haven't even tipped the iceberg yet."
Widespread Difficulties and Humanitarian Situation
He continued: "It's immense. I myself took a drive to the country yesterday, the countryside of St Mary, which was less affected as hard, but still hit. They don't have light yet, and a lot of people out there are unable to see the rest of what's happening, because once they get charge on their phone, they're just trying to contact loved ones to make sure that they are safe."
Some people "don't even know that people are helping them, because a lot of the time they're not able to see these videos of people assembling stuff to dispatch there," he said.
"And so little has been actually delivered... There's still blocked areas, roads that are damaged."
"I recently learned of a story of 15 babies that were under three months old, but they're resting in makeshift beds right now. So it's a heartbreaking situation, and we're trying to provide assistance out there as much as possible."
Fellow Artist Engages in Aid Initiatives
Fellow Jamaican music star, Shaggy, has also been co-ordinating relief efforts on the island, bringing essentials to locals via vehicle fleets.
Asked how he felt about what had happened, he expressed: "Devastated. I don't think I can unsee what I've seen... It's rough, there's a lot of aid arriving."
"No one could really get ready for something like that."
"We visited the Black River area, which was struck severely. All structures is leveled. It breaks my heart. I was moved to tears. These are my people."
He continued: "I've never seen anything like this, it looks like a bomb exploded."
Future Plans for Assistance
Sean Paul said: "Shaggy has contacted to me, a acquaintance of mine in the industry, and he is trying to hold a benefit event in December. It's a long term thing, so we prefer not to schedule it next week where no one will know about it. It has to be down the road where we can promote it."
