Upon arriving at the Riu Hotel for my second trip to one of my ancenstral homes, we were informed of the imminant Hurricane; ‘Melissa’. Supposedly it wouldn’t affect our stay, for more than a day or two, however the following morning ‘Melissa’ became a category 5 and the hotel would soon be put on lockdown.
We were in an undoubtedly privileged position, in the safe confines of the hotel walls. Which speaks to the ever growing problem in Jamaica of land being privatised and taken away from local people to be sold off as tourist attractions or hotels.
The photographs taken here look at how staff, guests and my family responded to such a strange situation.
Jamaica, 2025
