People walk along muddied roads scavenging the wreckage for food. Others jump into damaged stores in the hope of finding bottled water or other supplies.
As the death toll rises, residents of Black River are still searching for loved ones while they also battle to survive, days after Hurricane Melissa made this Jamaican port city ground zero of the devastation seen across the Caribbean.
Residents here say they have been living in a state of chaos the last three days since Melissa slammed into them as one of the most powerful category five storms ever recorded in the region.
The fierce winds and storm surge that barrelled through here have decimated nearly everything, leaving roads unusable and a trail of destruction that has them increasingly desperate and isolated with no electricity or running water.
Capsized boats lie kerbside. Brick buildings are split in half. Giant sheets of metal are twisted between tree branches. Vehicles sit in crumbled pieces.
Residents who spoke to the BBC said they have seen no aid trucks in the area so far and described having to eat what food they can find in debris by the roads in the coastal town, nearly 150km (93 miles) west of the capital, Kingston.
Others made their way inside battered supermarkets, taking what they could for themselves.
We have to use whatever we see here, on the street and also in the supermarket, Demar Walker explained, sitting in a shaded area down the street from the store to escape the heat and 80% humidity.
He said he and others had to climb into the market due to its roof caving in and took what they could. They tossed water and items to others also in need.
We had to throw food to other people.
Nearby, others told the BBC of a local pharmacy being looted in Black River, describing anarchy as people ran in and out carrying armfuls of drugs and alcohol.
One couple told the BBC that they owned multiple stores in the area, several of which they said had been looted. They are now standing guard outside one of their stores in the hope of preventing future thefts.
One person in the chaos described the situation as chaos, chaos. Total. No food. No water. They lamented, We don’t have access to money. We need help. No help has come.
Jimmy Esson, another local, exclaimed, I lost everything, all my things. We need food. We have no food. Officials in Jamaica have reported that at least 19 people have died in the country thus far.
Local officials estimate that 90% of the houses here were destroyed. Much of the town's vital infrastructure, including hospitals and fire stations, has also faced significant devastation, complicating rescue and recovery efforts.
Amid the desperation and chaos, residents express hope for recovery and urgently call for aid, underscoring the critical needs for food and water as the community grapples with the aftermath of Hurricane Melissa.
