DORAL, FLA. (WSVN) - Several South Florida organizations continue to send much-needed support to the Caribbean islands that bore the brunt of Hurricane Melissa’s winds.
The City of Miramar, the Consul General of Jamaica and Food For The Poor have joined forces to launch a humanitarian relief effort.
Miramar Mayor Wayne M. Messam discussed their current endeavor at a news conference held late Thursday morning. He said the damage caused by the storm is staggering.
“It’s just devastating when you see the images, the pictures, just the complete devastation,” he said.
Messam urged South Floridians to support Jamaica in the hurricane’s wake.
“First we ask for your prayers, for Jamaica, we ask you for your financial support, we ask you for your philanthropy, in any way that you can.,” he said.
The joint humanitarian relief effort aims to bring resources to the island.
“The western side of Jamaica has been ravaged, and we will need all the support possible,” said Consul General of Jamaica Oliver Mair.
“It’s the hygiene items, things that people need in an immediate response to an emergency, especially a water one, so you got everything from buckets to containers but also have all of the goods that we need in that as a complete kit,” said Food for the Poor President and CEO Ed Raine.
The group is now accepting donations of the following items:
- Tarps and tents
- Tools
- Generators
- Sleeping Bags
- Trash bags
- First aid kits
- Flashlights
- Hygiene kits
“Please donate to us. We are able to buy locally in Jamaica, which will speed up the ability to get things,” said Raine.
“Our drop-off locations [are available] 24 hours a day, so it doesn’t matter the time,” said Messam.
Those locations include:
- Fire Station 19 – 6700 Miramar Parkway, Miramar, FL 33023
- Fire Station 70 – 9001 Miramar Parkway, Miramar, FL 33025
- Fire Station 84 – 14801 SW 27th Street, Miramar, FL 33027
- Fire Station 100 – 2800 SW 184th Avenue, Miramar, FL 33029
- Fire Station 107 – 11811 Miramar Parkway, Miramar, FL 33023
- Miramar Police Headquarters – 11765 City Hall Promenade, Miramar, FL 33025
Above all, they said, monetary support is what’s needed most.
“We’re going to need help, cash donations to be able to buy building materials, bulding supplies, to repair the roofs or to build back total homes if necessary,” said Mark Khouri, Executive Vice President of Food For The Poor.
Jamaican native and artist Shaggy said he’s using his organization Make A Difference Foundation, alongside Attorney Daniel Newlin, to support those most impacted.
“I’m going to hit the ground running. I’m going to link up with Food For The Poor down there and we’re going to go around and see what we can do and there’s another plane coming on Saturday filled with goods and we’re going to do that and if we have to bring more, we’ll do more,” he said.
Food For The Poor is not the only organization stepping in to help. Major relief efforts are ongoing in Doral, where the Global Empowerment Mission has been hard at work all week rounding up supplies to send to the island.
Kimberly Bentley, GEMs Director of Emergency Response, spoke with 7News from St. Elizabeth Parish in western Jamaica.
“We arrived prior to the storm so we could get all the paperwork and clearances in order, so that way we could hit the ground running. The airports just opened up, so now that that’s taken care of, [on Thursday] we can go into the field and be sure that impacted areas have access,” she said.
The GEM team has set up a warehouse that is now ready to receive critical supplies like food, water, generators batteries and radios.
“We’ve got three cargo planes coming in, and as of next week, we also have containers coming in consistently,” said Bentley. “It’s not only supplies, but it’s hope in a box, so I think that gives some morale knowing that they aren’t forgotten and there is help on the way.”
On Thursday, GEM posted a video to social media showing pallets of aid being offloaded from a plane after landing in Jamaica.
In the City of Hialeah, officials launched a relief program asking for things like water, canned foods, mosquito repellent, diapers and first aid kits.
“We’re going to use every single fire station. We have nine fire stations in the city. Every single one of them will be accepting these relief efforts. But we ask that you do it organized and we’re going to be accepting from 7 a.m. to 10 p.m.,” said Hialeah Fire Rescue Chief Freddie Perez.
For more information on Melissa donations to GEM, click here. For information on community volunteering at GEM, click here.
For more information about the supply drive in Miramar, click here.
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