Belfast man returns to Jamaica to help after Hurricane Melissa

BELFAST, Maine (WABI) - A Belfast man who grew up in Black River, Jamaica, is back home after spending a week in the community he once called home, delivering supplies and checking on family after Hurricane Melissa made a catastrophic landfall in October 2025.

Nickalos Hemley, a manager at Young’s Lobster Pound in Belfast said the damage was difficult to process.

“It was a sight, I’ve never seen anything like that in my whole life,” Hemley said.

After the storm, Hemley turned to the Belfast community for help, launching a GoFundMe that raised more than $5,000.

He used the donations to purchase and deliver essential items, including generators and hygiene supplies.

“We got the generators out there… We’ve got the sanitary napkins out there… because sometimes these things are essential,” Hemley said.

Hemley said he first met up with family when he arrived.

He previously told WABI he lost contact with relatives during the storm and feared for a cousin’s safety, but later learned the family member was safe.

Seeing the destruction in person was a shock, Hemley said — even in places he knew by heart.

“I went there and I was like, ‘Whoa, this is where I’m from.’ It looks so different… the trees, the forest has no leaves on it,” he said.

Despite the devastation, Hemley said he was struck by the resilience he saw across the community.

One of his main stops was a local school, where he said some children were without basic necessities.

“The school was one of the main targets… some of them didn’t have shoes… but they were happy. That was the highlight of the whole trip,” Hemley said.

Now back in Belfast, Hemley said the work isn’t over.

He and his wife are relaunching their GoFundMe effort to raise more money for shoes and school supplies for students in Black River.

Hemley said he knows the community may never look the way it did before the storm, but he hopes the support from Belfast can help families rebuild and restore a sense of normalcy.

“Thanks, thanks a million — that’s all I can say, thank you,” Hemley said.

If you’d like to donate just follow the link.