Central Florida rallies to help Jamaica after Hurricane Melissa’s devastation

ORLANDO, Fla. — The wrath of Hurricane Melissa continues to unfold across Jamaica after the storm made landfall Tuesday as a catastrophic Category 5 hurricane, the strongest ever to hit the island. Homes and businesses were flattened, hospitals damaged, and entire communities left without power.

Among those caught in the chaos are Alimay and Walter Campbell, who were supposed to spend just a week on vacation, but now, they’re trapped. “There’s flooding all over. Homes are being destroyed. Hospitals being destroyed,” Walter said. “My neighbor has a solar syste,m so that’s why we were able to get lights. There’s no power, absolutely no power. It’s pretty dark.”

The couple said they had no idea a hurricane was approaching when they arrived. “The plan was to fly on Sunday,” Alimay said, “however, our flight was canceled due to the hurricane.”

They’re not alone. Florida radio personality JoJo O’Neal, who was also visiting Jamaica, told Channel 9 that she and others had tried to leave early, but couldn’t. “Several of us are from Florida or have lived in Florida at some point, so we know what Cat 5 means,” O’Neal said. “We booked to leave early, and they closed the airports, cancelled the flights.”

Hurricane Melissa hit Jamaica with sustained winds of 185 miles per hour on Tuesday morning, cutting off power to much of the island and leaving residents and tourists stranded. For many in Central Florida’s Jamaican community, the images have been agonizing to watch.

“It’s heart-wrenching. I didn’t sleep last night,” said Debbie Jolly Jerrett with the Jamaican Cultural Connection. “I was watching the whole thing.” “They’ve never seen anything like this before,” added Lurna Wozencroft-Franklin from the same organization. “Many of them are not at home; they’re in shelters.”

As the storm’s impact continues, the Jamaican American Association of Central Florida is mobilizing support. President Joan Edghill said they’re already hearing from families running out of food and water. “With the length of this hurricane and the time it’s taking to actually hit, people said they’re running out of supplies,” she said.

Local businesses are also stepping up. Paul Daley, owner of Caribbean Sunshine Bakery on West Colonial Drive, is partnering with a Jamaican shipping company to collect donations that will go directly to the island. “We are gathering goods to ship down,” Daley said. “They’re going to ship at no cost to the donors. We’re accepting anything from diapers to generators — no perishable goods, whatever you can donate. We’ll make sure it gets to the right people at the right time.”

Daley added, “I’m just doing a small part in hopes to help the community the best way I can.”

As recovery efforts ramp up, community leaders urge Central Floridians to contribute supplies or funds through verified organizations helping storm victims in Jamaica.

Ways to help

Jamaican Cultural Connection - https://jccnow.org/

The Jamaican American Association of Central Florida - https://www.jaaocf.com/

Caribbean Sunshine Bakery - https://www.caribbeansunshine.net/

What to donate