Manchester volunteers rebuild stroke survivor's hurricane-damaged home

MILE GULLY, Manchester — Seven months after Hurricane Melissa flooded his New Pond house and damaged the roof, 82-year-old Joslyn Chronicle had reason to smile on Labour Day, as volunteers rebuilt and upgraded the home before the 2026 Atlantic Hurricane Season.

Chronicle, who has survived strokes, said the Category 5 system left him shaken. He remembered steady, heavy rainfall forcing stones into the house and water moving through the building while he was still on his bed.

“God kept me, because the water came and I was on the bed and I saw the water come straight in and come on the verandah and come straight in around to the back door and go into the bathroom. I couldn’t step down onto the bed. The water [eventually] ran out before I could come out,” he said on Monday.

“I had four strokes and the doctor said he can’t believe I am still alive,” Chronicle added, as he thanked those who repaired the dwelling.

Deputy Mayor of Mandeville Councillor Rohan Kennedy, the People’s National Party representative for the Mile Gully Division, headed the volunteer crew. The Labour Day work covered roof and ceiling repairs, replacement of doors and windows, and painting.

“I give thanks and respect to them, all down to the ground that they walk on. Mr Kennedy promised that he would see to the building and he has seen to it. He fulfilled his promise,” said Chronicle, who lives by himself but receives support from nearby neighbours.

Kennedy said Chronicle was among many people in the area whose homes suffered when Hurricane Melissa crossed Jamaica on October 28, 2025.

“The house was severely damaged during Melissa. He actually had to be removed by his neighbour, who had him for days,” the councillor said. Kennedy also said drainage improvements are planned around Chronicle’s property.

“We plan on digging away the banking and making it wider, so that the water can actually flow easier. We are also building a retaining wall,” he said.

With the hurricane season due to begin in under a week, Kennedy said Manchester’s shelters are close to being ready, although repair work is still taking place at some sites.

“We don’t know what the prediction [is] for this year. We are hoping that it will be below normal. In terms of preparation for Manchester, we are looking at the shelters and finalising preparations for repair and just basically putting things in place, so [they] will be able to accommodate the worst in case anything happens,” he said.

He said residents in communities such as New Pond have also been moving early because of what they went through during Melissa.

“The truth be told, it is a really resilient community [of] farmers, and based on their experience of Melissa their preparation is really in high gear this year… The focus is really preparing in whichever way you can, because even since last week we were on another project where we replaced some zinc and did ceiling reconstruction. This is a tight-knit community where people volunteer and work together to help each other,” Kennedy said.

The deputy mayor said other flood-reduction work is under way across Manchester, with drain cleaning now a priority because several sections of the parish are vulnerable to flooding.

He also said the New Pond road, which was damaged by Hurricane Melissa, is a municipal road and is already listed for repair soon.

Kennedy praised residents from New Pond and nearby communities for joining the Labour Day effort at Chronicle’s home, noting that many young people willingly turned out and that the level of participation pleased him.