A former Jamaican Olympic dash athlete has described the destruction left by Hurricane Melissa as like a “world war, where somebody drops a bomb”.
The class 5 hurricane made landfall in Jamaica on the finish of October with wind speeds of 185mph, making it the worst storm to hit the Caribbean nation since information started. It then went on to influence Haiti and Cuba.
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Hurricane Melissa was the worst storm to hit Jamaica since information started
“I think the world is mourning for Jamaica right now and I am mourning for Jamaica,” Powell mentioned.
“My coronary heart is simply crying every single day after I see the movies. It does not do it justice.
“You have to see it in person, when you see it in person… there’s no greenery, everything is just brown. It’s like a world war, where somebody drops a bomb, that’s what it looks like.”
Powell represented Jamaica at 4 Olympics over his profession – starting in 2004 in Athens.
Extra on Hurricane Melissa
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Asafa Powell celebrates profitable the lads’s 100m on the IAAF Athletics Diamond League assembly in Lausanne, Switzerland, in 2016. Pic: Reuters
Regardless of not profitable particular person gold at an Olympics or World Championships he claimed gold as a part of the 4x100m relay staff, which included Usain Bolt on the Rio Video games in 2016.
Individually he set the 100m world document twice, clocking 9.77 seconds in 2005 after which 9.74 in 2007.
The most recent official figures from the Jamaican authorities on Wednesday confirmed 45 deaths with 15 individuals nonetheless lacking.
Lyles, who gained gold within the 100m in a photograph end by 0.005 seconds and bronze within the 200m sprints on the Paris Olympics in 2024, defined why his charity – the Lyles Brothers Sports activities Basis – needed to help the Jamaican individuals.
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An aerial view of the city of Black River in Jamaica. Pic: AP
“We know that there are tonnes of people who are helping out right now, and there are other foundations that you can go to, but we really wanted to make sure that not just Junelle’s [Junelle Bromfield] community but a lot of the other communities surrounding that area got support,” Lyles mentioned.
After the Paris Olympics, the 28-year-old introduced his engagement to fellow dash athlete and Jamaican-born Junelle Bromfield in October 2024 in a social media put up.
He mentioned: “As Junelle says, St Elizabeth is the Bread Basket Parish. It provides food to the rest of the island. And if you don’t have food, then it doesn’t matter if you make it to the next day, you need something to eat, you need something to drink, you need to be able to keep the energy and the spirits up.”
After making landfall, the Jamaican authorities formally declared the island a catastrophe space, saying virtually each parish had reported blocked roads, fallen bushes and main flooding.
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Residents stand on the wreckage of a home in Santa Cruz, Jamaica. Pic: AP
The World Financial institution estimates the bodily harm from Hurricane Melissa to Jamaica quantities to US$8.8bn, or 41% of Jamaica’s 2024 GDP. The influence of that harm was witnessed firsthand by Powell.
He mentioned: “I wanted to see, just to get a visual of everything that’s going on, what’s happened on the island. I drove to Montego Bay, Westmoreland, St Elizabeth, and to be honest, I was scared, I was so shocked.
“I used to be scared to look left or proper as a result of there have been simply individuals on either side of the street hoping that assist was coming.
“People with kids, young babies, and it was devastating for me. I see houses under water, you know, three-storey houses, you see places where houses used to be… and it’s really bad.”
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Powell, left, wins Olympic gold with relay teammates, Yohan Blake, Nickel Ashmeade, and Usain Bolt on the 2016 Rio Video games. Pic: Reuters
On the emotional toll it has delivered to him personally whereas offering provides, Powell mentioned it was by no means one thing he thought he would witness in his nation.
He mentioned: “To see people, your people, struggling like that – never in a million years we thought Jamaica would have ever been like this and like I said, driving through it, it looked like somebody dropped a bomb on that side of Jamaica.
“Everyone seems to be attempting to assist, you already know, with no matter little they can assist with.”
He continued: “Jamaica could be very small, however it’s huge in a way, like Jamaicans say, we’re ‘likkle however we tallawah’.
“So there are a lot more communities to be touched and we’re going to get there, but it’s taking a while, but we’re getting a lot of support and I really appreciate that.”
