But its famed bamboo stalks lay strewn and shredded across the road in Hurricane Melissa’s aftermath, forcing Jamaican soldiers to chop at them with machetes in a desperate bid to reopen the main route to Black River, which the government has described as the storm’s “ground zero”.

Melissa came ashore just west of the town on Tuesday, leaving up to 90% of all structures in Black River without roofs as it snapped power lines and toppled concrete structures.

One of the strongest Atlantic hurricanes to make landfall, Melissa has been blamed for at least 19 deaths in Jamaica and 31 in nearby Haiti.

In the ruins of Jamaica’s Black River area, people scrambled for relief.

“People are hungry,” said Monique Powell, as she stood watch over a stash of groceries and household items for herself an

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