Jamaica, 1 November (H.S.): Days after Hurricane Melissa carved a path of total devastation through Jamaica, desperation has taken hold in the hardest-hit coastal town of Black River, where residents are scavenging through wreckage for food and water amid a rising death toll.

The catastrophic Category 5 storm has left the port city in a state of chaos, with no electricity, no running water, and critical infrastructure, including the local hospital, almost entirely destroyed.

Survivors describe a grim battle for survival. With no aid having reached the isolated town, people are forced to eat whatever they can find in the debris or take from battered supermarkets. We have to use whatever we see here, on the street and also in the supermarket, resident Demar Walker told.

Reports have also emerged of a local pharmacy being looted. It is a delicate balance, said Mayor Richard Solomon, acknowledging the desperation driving residents to seize supplies.The human cost of the hurricane continues to mount. The confirmed death toll across the Caribbean has climbed to at least 49, with 19 fatalities in Jamaica and at least 30 in neighboring Haiti.

Many in Black River, like Mr. Walker, are cut off from their families due to impassable roads and a lack of communication services, amplifying their anguish. There's no way of getting to my family to find out if they're OK, he said.The scale of the destruction is staggering. Local officials estimate that 90% of the homes in Black River have been demolished.

A medic, Michael Tharkurdeen, who was in the town's fire station when the storm hit, recounted how the building's ground floor was submerged under five feet of water, and that he later found a man's lifeless body once the floodwaters receded.While aid supplies are beginning to arrive in the capital, Kingston, reaching devastated communities like Black River remains a major challenge.

On Friday, a fleet of military helicopters finally arrived in the town, bringing a sense of order after days of turmoil. However, for residents like Shawn Morris, the immediate needs are primal. It's not about the money, he said. We need food and water.

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Hindusthan Samachar / Jun Sarkar