Bermuda residents with Jamaica connections reflected on the devastation left after Hurricane Melissa barrelled through the Caribbean island bringing flash floods, landslides and unprecedented winds.

Yackeisha Weir, the president of the Jamaican Association (Bermuda), said yesterday that it was too soon to tell the extent of damage, given widespread power outages and connectivity issues.

Ms Weir said the association was accepting online bank and wire transfers, and finalising arrangements to ship an aid container to Jamaica.

Melissa made landfall on Tuesday, thundering ashore as a catastrophic Category 5 storm.

Jamaican prime minister Andrew Holness reported on social media from St Elizabeth Parish that he saw “images of destruction all around”.

Huntley Septimus, chef at Jamaican Grill on Court Street, has a wife and two adult sons living at the foot of the Blue Mountains in Mount Charles.

The Jamaican national, who has lived in Bermuda for 30 years and raised his sons here, said that while his region was not as badly hit as elsewhere, his farm still bore the brunt of the extreme weather.

He spoke with his family in Jamaica on Tuesday afternoon but could not contact them yesterday because of power outages.

He recalled: “They were saying, man, it is crazy. Most of the vegetation has blown down, I have a farm and it’s all flattened out. There were trees breaking down beside my house. The house is still intact.”

Mr Septimus kept an eye on Television Jamaica at the restaurant as presenter Anthony Lugg reported “everybody is heartbroken”.

Mr Septimus, who recently returned from his father’s funeral in Jamaica, said: “My son sent me some clips of video from up my way, it looked bad but we wasn’t even getting the worst of the storm. You can just imagine what it is like for the other people down west. I am at the foot of the Blue Mountains.

“I got my aunt who lives next door, my cousins live next door — we all live in the same region. They can help each other.”

Mr Septimus hopes to organise funds and aid for his district of Mount Charles, potentially through the Jamaican Association.

Andre Lowe, a Jamaican native, moved to Bermuda to work as sports editor for The Royal Gazette from 2021 to 2022.

He now lives in Jamaica’s capital Kingston, which was hit but escaped the worst.

Mr Lowe said: “We had a lot of really heavy rain from Monday through to Tuesday up to late last night — there were at least Category 1 force winds. There is some flooding and damage to Kingston, and parishes on eastern ends.

“However, far more significant damage has taken place on the western corridor. Saint Ann, Trelawny, Saint James, Hanover, Saint Elizabeth have suffered significant damage and losses.

“I am grateful for being spared the worst but it is really painful. I am feeling genuine pain and hurt for those in that region.

“St Elizabeth, which also suffered significant damage from Beryl last year, is the parish where most of our goods are grown — that will have significant impacts, and that belt represents the majority of our tourism product. Negril, Montego Bay … they all suffered significant losses.”

Bermuda is forecast to get a close call from Melissa, expected to have weakened to Category 1 by its predicted closest approach at midnight going into Friday.

Mr Lowe added: “Bermuda is a very special place for me and I wouldn’t wish this destruction on anyone.”

Andre Grant, who works for Bermuda Blueprinting in graphic design, publication and print, is originally from Jamaica, where family members maintain a janitorial company.

While his parents in Kingston fared well, a restaurant in Ocho Rios, where his mother is a partner, lost half its roof.

Mr Grant said: “Everybody was fine. They have to get the roof back on because with the roof off, it will cause more damage.

“I have a friend in Montego Bay who lost the roof of his house and he has friends whose houses were almost completely flooded — they had people on the roofs waiting for relief.

“The storm really affected St Elizabeth, which is still recovering from Hurricane Beryl. That’s what really gave me concern because a lot of our food produce comes from the western side of Jamaica, which was badly affected.

“I think it will be a very hard hit on them and the relief will need to include food banks. That is going to impact everybody in Jamaica in terms of pricing and availability.”

Ms Weir said the Jamaican Association hoped to work “collectively” to send aid, with the “ravaged” area of St Elizabeth targeted.

The association posted on Facebook as the storm approached: “We know the strength of the Jamaican spirit. Time and time again, our people have faced great storms and each time, we have risen, rebuilt and stood tall. This moment will be no different.

“To our families, friends and communities back home: hold firm, keep faith and trust that brighter days lie ahead.”

Associated Press reported eight deaths in Jamaica, with more fatalities in Cuba and Haiti where the storm headed next.

Anyone wishing to donate to the Jamaican Association, registered charity 611, can transfer via the HSBC account #010-407-146-001 with the reference “Hurricane Melissa Jamaica”.

Details on the planned container of aid will be shared once available.