Samaritan’s Purse establishes field hospital at Black River High School – Part I

Black River High School and Black River Hospital in St Elizabeth were not spared the wrath of Category 5 Hurricane Melissa on October 28, making operations at both institutions malfunction. But, while there is no timeline as to when they both will be back up and running as normal, a field hospital is now operating on the compound of the high school.

It was established by Samaritan’s Purse, a faith-based international relief organisation. Its website says, “Samaritan's Purse stands ready to respond at a moment’s notice whenever and wherever disaster strikes. We specialise in international disaster relief, meeting critical needs for victims of conflict, disaster, famine, and epidemics throughout the world, often working through ministry partners on the ground. We provide food, water, shelter, medicine, and other assistance in the name of Jesus Christ.’

The mission statement says, “Samaritan’s Purse is a non-denominational evangelical Christian organisation providing spiritual and physical aid to hurting people around the world. Since 1970, Samaritan’s Purse has helped meet needs of people who are victims of war, poverty, natural disasters, disease, and famine with the purpose of sharing God’s love through His Son, Jesus Christ. The organisation serves the Church worldwide to promote the Gospel of the Lord Jesus Christ.”

In less than 48 hours after Hurricane Melissa made landfall in Jamaica as a Category 5 storm, Samaritan’s Purse airlifted the first members of a Disaster Assistance Response Team (DART) and tons of aid. Its 757 and DC-8 flights to Jamaica on October 30 and 31 carried DART personnel, along with water filtration systems, shelter materials, medical supplies, and other relief. More than 75,000 pounds of relief were delivered on the first two flights.

The Samaritan’s Purse 767 left the Airlift Response Center in Greensboro, North Carolina, on November 2, bound for Jamaica with an emergency field hospital. “We are leveraging our full aviation assets in this response, including helicopters to transport team members, do assessments, and bring relief. We are in regular communication with more than 200 church partners, as well as community leaders on the ground in Jamaica,” Samaritan’s Purse said at the time. Additional flights are scheduled in the coming days to quickly deliver relief in Jesus’ name.

Up to November 4, the airlifts had brought in community water systems, shelter materials, household water filters, solar lights, hygiene kits, and other supplies. The community water systems can serve 10,000 people per day. Their 757, 767, and DC-8 cargo planes will continue to deliver many tons of life-saving supplies to Jamaica.

The field hospital has been fully operational since, receiving patients with a variety of complaints and offering a variety of services, including minor surgeries and in-patient services. Up to November 4 also, four airlifts had brought 100 tons of relief to the island to provide much-needed medical care.

“We are bringing in doctors, nurses, and the entire team it takes to get this hospital up and running, along with all the equipment and supplies we need,” Franklin Graham, president of Samaritan’s Purse, said earlier in the outreach. “Hospitals, homes, and entire communities have been devastated. We will also continue distributing emergency supplies like water filters and shelter material.

Although the Black River Hospital is severely damaged, people sought attention there initially, after Melissa passed, but, since the field hospital was established, they are heading straight to it. When The Sunday Gleaner visited on November 11, there was a team connecting a mobile toilet to the Black River sewer system. And, there is no timeline as to when the hospital will be folded, repacked and returned.