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MIRAMAR, FLA. (WSVN) - As residents of Jamaica brace for Hurricane Melissa’s powerful winds, South Floridians are getting ready to send support in the form of much-needed food and other necessities. The Category 5 storm is barreling toward Jamaica after wreaking havoc in Hispaniola. The system has already claimed at least three lives in Haiti and one in the Dominican Republic. Heavy rain and landslides are sweeping the region, destroying homes, uprooting trees and knocking out water supplies Meanwhile, Jamaicans are preparing for the worst “Like, we never get this, you know, the Caribbean. It’s gonna be the worst one,” said a fisherman. “We know the seasons, I believe [hurricane season] would have finished [by now], so we’re frightened.” “I just take things easy. I don’t worry myself. As long as I have food, can eat, that’s the most important thing,” said another resident. Homes across Jamaica are being boarded up. At the grocery stores, people are scrambling to grab essential items “I was hoping to get some bread; the shelves are empty,” said a shopper “There’s still a lot of people who like got paid late, so they’re rushing now to get items, food items,” said resident Gabrielle Maurice. “Lots of people really don’t have the financial means to get all that they would need.” Miami resident Nicole Doyon said her girls trip to Jamaica with her friends has turned into a travel nightmare. “It’s been a roller coaster of emotions, especially when, like, everybody’s kind of panicking, trying to get on a flight, like every man for himself,” she said. While Melissa is expected to be the strongest hurricane to impact Jamaica in more than 35 years, hundreds of miles away in South Florida, help is already on the way At the Global Empowerment Mission’s headquarters in Doral, volunteers spent much of the weekend filling boxes with necessities, including nonperishable food, hygienic items and water. “The impact will be so difficult, with persons having to be without the necessary essential items, these families … we’ll at least help them get through a few days,” said lead volunteer Marlon Hill. In partnership with Caribbean Strong, a community-wide disaster relied effort, hundreds of thousands of relief boxes will go from GEM’s headquarters to those most impacted. “Right now, our team’s gonna be out there, and then we are prepping to see what’s gonna happen after the impact,” said Billy Richardson, GEM’s Director of U.S. Warehousing. “After the impact, we’ll send some more people over, as well as our first plane load, which should be about 50,000 pounds of aid, followed by about six 640-foot containers by sea.” Kanniga Anderson, who has his family back in Jamaica, said he’s concerned, but any help will go a long way “I don’t really feel good, but they got to take what they get, ’cause it’s a natural thing, right?” he said. Fire stations in the City of Miramar are collecting items like tarps, flashlights and water bottles. If you would like to help, click here. For information on Melissa donations to GEM, click here. For information on community volunteering at GEM, click here. Copyright 2025 Sunbeam Television Corp. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed.
