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Before Hurricane Melissa, they had a home, a livelihood, friends of their own age and a sense of normalcy. Seven months later, all that remains is each other, a weathered couch and an ageing handheld radio through which they follow a world that has largely moved on without them.
Forced from their home after Melissa ravaged Providence, St Elizabeth, Mervin and Avis Jones now spend their days at their daughter's house in Avon Park, St Catherine, far removed from the life they once knew. With no income and few possessions salvaged from the storm, the elderly couple say each day is a struggle to maintain hope.
The radio rarely leaves their side – much like Jossett, the youngest of their seven children, who now cares for them. It offers companionship during long afternoons on the verandah, where they sit side by side for hours, rising only for meals before eventually retiring to bed.
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