Two weeks after Hurricane Melissa hit Jamaica During a Category 5 storm, a rescued British Columbia man talks about his family's escape and hopes he can help rebuild the island.
“You could hear glass breaking, things bouncing off the walls, the wind picking up and throwing things around,” said Chris Kerr of Terrace, British Columbia.
Kerr, his wife and two children were on a family trip to Jamaica when the storm hit. They took refuge in a theater at the resort where they were staying.
At least 32 people have been confirmed dead in Jamaica since the storm, and the United Nations said on Thursday that nearly 36,000 people are in need of food assistance and more than 100,000 residential structures have been damaged.
Kerr said the storm cut away several layers of the theater they were sheltering in and water rushed inside.
“It was chaos, people were screaming and running and screaming – just trying to calm people down was something else,” he said.
“At that point, I went into rescue mode and helped families get out, moving people along the concrete walls into the hallway and stuff that was relatively secure.”
Get the latest national news
To stay on top of news affecting Canada and the world, sign up for breaking news alerts delivered directly to you as they happen.
As of October 29, no Canadian deaths were reported as a result of the hurricane. Randeep Sarai, secretary of state for international development, said Canada is monitoring the situation “very closely” and stands ready to help with local requests for logistics and humanitarian assistance.
He noted that Cuba, which was also affected, and Jamaica each received $4 million from the UN emergency fund, to which Canada has contributed more than $29 million this year.
At the time of the hurricane, an email to Global News stated that there were 2,113 Canadians registered in Jamaica. In the days that followed, visitors spent days trying to find their way home.
Kerr said the WestJet passengers were eventually told a bus would pick them up, but when they got to the airport in Kingston there was no power and they were forced to return to Ocho Rios.
A day later they went to Montego Bay airport, where there was also no electricity. Eventually they made it to the plane.
“My family of four, and then I think there were four more people and they closed the door,” Kerr said. “We sat down, we were so happy to be on the plane.”
The family was supposed to return on October 29, but did not get home until November 3.
He's only been back in British Columbia for a few days, but Kerr told Global News he wants to return to Jamaica to help, using his knowledge as a water and sanitation specialist for the Kitimat-Stikine Regional District. He is registered with the Red Cross, the Government of Jamaica and Operators Without Borders and hopes to return soon.
“As for money, I don't have much money. I would send everything I have, (but) that can't happen,” he said. “But what I can do is go back down and help rebuild. That's just my goal, that's my goal now.”
He said that could include helping to restore water systems, sewer systems and other aspects that could help quickly return water to residents.
“Now I couldn’t get down there fast enough,” he said. “I explained to my family that this was kind of what I needed to do. I told my employer that I would like to do this to help, and everyone was understanding about it.”
—with files from Global News' Daria Zargar
© 2025 Global News, a division of Corus Entertainment Inc.
