Update|Family safe after days without contact following Hurricane Melissa

A Clarendon woman who yesterday made a desperate plea for help in locating her daughter-in-law and one-year-old grandson in St Elizabeth is now breathing a sigh of relief.

Nadine Stewart-Whyte said that since The STAR's publication of her plight on Thursday, she has received word from relatives confirming that her daughter-in-law, Tommie-Ann Stone, and grandson Bellamy Whyte are safe.

Speaking about The STAR's publication, a relieved Stewart-Whyte said, "It help us so much. Somebody from overseas called me and told me they're okay, and then the family, [Tommie-Ann's] sister, call us and tell us that they're okay, and they saw [the story] on Instagram."

Stewart-Whyte said that since her story was shared, she has been overwhelmed by an outpouring of support from across Jamaica and the diaspora. Some callers offered to travel into the affected areas to search for her loved ones, while others reached out with words of encouragement and prayer.

However, Stewart-Whyte noted that the ordeal was not without its challenges. She disclosed that amid the genuine offers of assistance, she also received calls from unscrupulous individuals spreading false information -- including one person who claimed that Stone had been arrested in Savanna-la-Mar, and that the baby was in Montego Bay. She said the caller instructed her to bring photographs, a bill registered in her name, and $300,000 for their release.

Despite the distress caused by such calls, Stewart-Whyte said she is finally at peace knowing her loved ones are alive and well. A neighbour has since offered to take her to St Elizabeth to see them.

Her experience mirrors the anxiety faced by many Jamaicans still struggling to reconnect with family members amid widespread power and communication outages in the aftermath of Hurricane Melissa, which devastated sections of western Jamaica earlier this week.

- Olivia Brown

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