Emma Lewis
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petchary.bsky.social
Emma Lewis
@petchary.bsky.social
6.3K followers 6.8K following 12K posts
I write. I read. Environmental defender. Bird fanatic. Born in London. Oxford alumna. Live in Kingston. petchary.wordpress.com. Also a member of the Global Voices community and on Substack. #StopDeepSeaMining #Arsenal
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petchary.bsky.social
Good morning. The garden is waking up a little after the storm.
#Kingston
#Jamaica
A garden with tropical vegetation and some pink flowers in the foreground. A garden with tropical vegetation.
November 21, 2025 at 12:22 PM
petchary.bsky.social
This is one example of a school (one of HUNDREDS destroyed/severely damaged by #HurricaneMelissa) which parents, teachers and volunteers are trying to rescue a small part of to use for classes for exam candidates. The storm arrived just a few weeks after the start of the new school year.
#Jamaica
Ruined school buildings in blue and white with zinc roofs mostly blown off, and a large tree seriously damaged by Hurricane Melissa, in the town of Black River on Jamaica's south coast. Volunteers carry damaged materials including large zinc sheets past blue and white buildings with roofs covered in blue tarpaulin at a school in Black River, Jamaica, after Hurricane Melissa.
November 21, 2025 at 2:49 AM
petchary.bsky.social
Good evening. I am mentally exhausted, not up for much.
#Kingston
#Jamaica
A young tree and leafy background, with a blue evening sky and a mass of white cloud
November 21, 2025 at 12:36 AM
petchary.bsky.social
Despite (or throughout) the grim, ongoing aftermath of #HurricaneMelissa Jamaican police have kept up their kill rate, shooting 18 men in 19 days this month. Once again, they are being urged to use body-worn cameras. Once again, those urgings fall on deaf ears.
@amnesty.org
@hrw.org
A pick up truck filled with heavily armed men in dark blue uniforms and helmets.
November 19, 2025 at 10:30 PM
petchary.bsky.social
Thanks - and you too! Blue skies here…
A palm tree and a tree with no leaves against a clear blue sky.
November 18, 2025 at 12:45 PM
petchary.bsky.social
This poem is so beautiful, heartbreakingly nostalgic! I took this picture last Christmas. Poinsettia in a pot, in our living room window. Some more red for you! ♥️
A deep red poinsettia flower in a window, with pink bougainvillea flowers outside.
November 18, 2025 at 5:11 AM
petchary.bsky.social
U.S. Marines guarding the US Embassy have engaged in a firefight with suspected members of local gangs. The incident occurred on November 14 in Port-au-Prince. This was reported by representatives of the US military. This is not the first shooting at U.S. personnel, but apparently the most serious.
Two soldiers in green fatigues and light brown helmets talking while standing in front of the U.S. Embassy in Port-au-Prince, Haiti.
November 17, 2025 at 9:13 PM
petchary.bsky.social
Look at this wonderful Osprey by the side of the road, near Ocho Rios, St Ann. They have such a regal look about them!
#Jamaica
#Birds 🪶
#Birdsky
November 17, 2025 at 1:01 AM
petchary.bsky.social
There are now eleven suspected cases of #leptospirosis from areas affected by #HurricaneMelissa in #Jamaica Caused by contact with contaminated water. Also some suspected cases of #tetanus. Flood waters are dangerous in many ways.
A diagram showing the cycle of transmission of leptospirosis beginning with a picture of a rat (carrier), domestic animals and humans at risk.
November 17, 2025 at 12:19 AM
petchary.bsky.social
Quiet Sunday evening. And a sign of renewal.
#Kingston
#Jamaica
A clearly blue evening sky with a few scattered clouds, framed by palm trees. Layers of trees - large leaves in the fore free round and to two types of smaller, delicate leaves (neem, moringa) A broken branch with new reddish sprites of young leaves.
November 16, 2025 at 10:38 PM
petchary.bsky.social
Not a photo but a video of a rather hectic family of coots on the River Lea in East London. “Wait up, Mum and Dad!”
#BirdOfTheDay
#CootsAndMoorhens
#Birds 🪶
#Birdsky
November 16, 2025 at 1:47 AM
petchary.bsky.social
This little girl is giving you a tour of what was her home.
#HurricaneMelissa
#Jamaica
November 14, 2025 at 1:14 PM
petchary.bsky.social
Hoping for sweet dreams… But I have a touch of the flu…
An evening sky with wispy grey clouds and trees and a bush with large leaves silhouetted against it. Behind the leaves glow the lights of a house.
November 14, 2025 at 6:18 AM
petchary.bsky.social
Today was #WorldKindnessDay
Be kind to Nature.
An aerial view of waves and foam breaking on the shore, and cliffs covered with forest. The message is “Be kind to nature.”
November 14, 2025 at 3:35 AM
petchary.bsky.social
Authorities handed over a first batch of seven Senator RAM MRAP armoured vehicles to the Armed Forces of Haiti (FAd’H) recently at the Prime Minister’s Office in Port-au-Prince. This is the first significant acquisition of tactical equipment for the army since its remobilization in 2017.
#Haiti
Several green tactical military vehicles lined up in a row.
November 13, 2025 at 12:55 AM
petchary.bsky.social
After #HurricaneMelissa, we call on Jamaica's Govt. to:
• Demand stronger action on 1.5°C target
• Secure loss & damage financing for communities
• Prioritize community-led rebuilding
• Invest in climate-resilient, nature-based solutions
@lossanddamage.bsky.social
@globaljusticenow.bsky.social
A photograph of a badly damaged town with a church tower still standing, beside the sea. It has a message: "In the wake of the devastation caused by Hurricane Melissa, we call on the Government of Jamaica to..."
November 12, 2025 at 11:54 PM
petchary.bsky.social
He looks so much like a Jamaican “brown dog”! We have two crazy rescue dogs who look very much the same. Lulu (left) and her big brother Freddie.
A small brown dog sitting down and with front legs outstretched. A light brown dog sitting down among pots full of green tropical plants.
November 12, 2025 at 10:43 PM
petchary.bsky.social
The climate crisis hits the most vulnerable hardest.
A message (a reminder) from Jamaican climate change activists.
@greenpeaceusa.bsky.social
@jamentrust1991.bsky.social
#ClimateJusticeNOW
#HurricaneMelissa
Severely damaged homes with no roof and destroyed surroundings on the edge of the sea. Hurricane Melissa in Jamaica.
November 10, 2025 at 7:39 PM
petchary.bsky.social
Good morning all. It’s looking a little “bleaky” as we would say today. A cold front is coming in from Florida. Here’s a Loggerhead Kingbird who came to look at me.
#Kingston
#Jamaica
#Birds 🪶
#Birdsky
A bird with a dark head and whiteish underparts sits on a metal frame under a drooping palm tree. Loggerhead Kingbird A part of a house with greenish roof and a pink wall. To the right is the silhouette of a tall palm tree and another tree against a cloudy grey sky.
November 10, 2025 at 1:13 PM
petchary.bsky.social
Oh! We have a different fruit called custard apple!! That's funny. This is it!
A hand holding up a large round fruit with a thick, pinkish-orange skin and a woody stem. It's called a custard apple in Jamaica.
November 10, 2025 at 12:37 AM
petchary.bsky.social
Hurricane Melissa’s destruction was fueled by fossil fuels, greed, and political inaction.
We need #ClimateJustice now.
A message from Jamaican climate change campaigners.
#HurricaneMelissa
@greenpeaceusa.bsky.social
@jamentrust1991.bsky.social
@wriclimate.bsky.social
@cop30brazil.bsky.social
November 9, 2025 at 11:39 PM
petchary.bsky.social
Good morning BlueSkyers!
The second Sunday after Melissa.
Our climbing vines are all brown.
But we have one fruit!
#Kingston
#Jamaica
#sweetsop
A blue sky with white clouds and the sun shining through. In theforeground green leaves and part of a roof. In the background a tall guango tree. A sweetsop fruit hanging in a tree. It has light green sections turning light pink.
November 9, 2025 at 2:16 PM
petchary.bsky.social
There were extraordinary windy skies today, like quick brush strokes across the the blue.
#Kingston
#Jamaica
#AfterMelissa
Wispy white windy clouds against a blue sky with dark green trees.
November 9, 2025 at 4:39 AM
petchary.bsky.social
Jamaican forests have been destroyed by #HurricaneMelissa Restoration is a desperate need! What was green is now brown and broken.
November 8, 2025 at 5:57 AM
petchary.bsky.social
jamaica-gleaner.com/article/lead...

Manning’s School, which took a hit from Hurricane Beryl last year, was battered almost beyond recognition, with its main building, including its library, in ruins. Several classrooms, many recently refurbished, had their roofs blown off.
#HurricaneMelissa
A building with roof destroyed by Hurricane Melissa.
November 7, 2025 at 9:32 AM