Wendy WarringtonA British midwife helping those affected by Hurricane Melissa, which tore through parts of the Caribbean in October, is hoping she can “raise spirits”.
Wendy Warrington, of Bury, Greater Manchester, has been “struck” by the impact on elderly people in Jamaica, where about 1.5 million people have been affected – more than half of the country’s population.
She is on her first mission with Stockport charity UK-Med, part of the UK’s official humanitarian response.
“Their whole lives, their homes have completely gone,” she told Radio Manchester. Despite the difficulties, she adds: “There is a lot of stoicism, they are very much about getting through this – repair, rebuild and recovery.”
“Some are having to live with family and friends, or move into shelters. They are literally there with the clothes they are standing up in.
“They’ve not had any access to healthcare.
“What I find most humbling is the deep intense gratitude we’re getting from the Jamaican people for us being here,” she said.
“The children, the schools that have been destroyed – they’re so cheerful, they smile, they are so happy when we arrive.”
ReutersMs Warrington is part of medical teams providing support to Jamaican healthcare workers “so they can sort out their own issues because their homes have been affected and damaged”.
They are working in locations including the impacted areas of Black River and Port Elizabeth, where the grandparents of her son-in-law were also “heavily hit”.
“We’re struggling with electricity, power outages and issues with running water,” she described.
UK-MedDavid Wightwick, chief executive at UK-Med, said their contribution to the Jamaican relief effort was “more of a recovery and support mission”.
“So the Jamaican government is pretty competent frankly and they’ve got a lot of very well-trained staff.
“What they need is that respite time to sort out their own clinics, to make sure that things are actually usable again, and time for the health staff to sort out their own problems because, of course, their own homes and families are severely affected.”
ReutersMs Warrington has helped treat various health issues but is yet to deliver any babies.
However, while taking the train from Manchester before her London Gatwick flight, she ended up attending to a pregnant passenger who experienced a membrane rupture.
The train was stopped at Milton Keynes so the woman could be transferred to paramedics.
“She sent me a lovely message to say that she was so glad that the train that she got to that morning – that I was on it, and that was really lovely.”