“You don’t have to be from the islands to know destruction”. Those were words passionately spoken by Broward County Commissioner Alexandra P. Davis at today’s press conference held by the City of Miramar to announce the launch of a partnership for relief efforts for Jamaica due to devastations caused by hurricane Melissa. The partnership includes the City of Miramar, the Jamaica Consulate in Miami and Food for the Poor. The relief machinery encompasses an elaborate drive by the people of the City of Miramar as well as the Consular General’s Office of Miami to collect well needed items for the hurricane victims in Jamaica and have them transported to the relevant persons using the logistics expertise of Food for the Poor.
The Mayor of Miramar, Mayor Wayne M. Messam in his presentation indicated that as the strongest storm on record, Hurricane Melissa hit very differently. To qualify his statement, he indicated that given his experience “…as a Florida Certified General Contractor, to hear that the maximum winds were 185 miles per hour, that exceeds the strictest building codes here in the State of Florida”. He further stated that if the City of Miramar were to suffer a direct hit of that velocity, “…there are few roofs that would not be impacted, if not completely removed”. He pointed out that it will be years before Jamaica fully recovers from the devastation and called on the churches, and businesses across the City of Miramar to join the relief efforts.
The City of Miramar has designated a number of fire stations and some police stations as drop of points for donations from the public. The Mayor of the City made a strong appeal for donations of generators, sleeping bags, batteries, flashlights, tarps, professional first aid kits, canned foods and other nonperishable food items among other necessities.
Commissioner of the City of Miramar, Commissioner Maxwell Chambers commended the Jamaican Government for its speed and professionalism in responding to the hurricane damage in Jamaica, and the citizens of Jamaica for their united efforts in clearing the nation’s streets using their own initiative and resources. He indicated that he was among those still waiting to hear from relatives in areas of impact as his family resides in the parish of Clarendon, one of the hard-hit parishes. He further revealed that there has been an overwhelming number of calls from individuals and organizations alike who are seeking to offer assistance, including transportation for the donated items to Jamaica, both via air and sea. Among his efforts will be the staging of a benefit concert to aid relief efforts, as well as raising funds for a mobile medical unit for Jamaica.
Commissioner Carson Edwards of the City of Miramar echoed the appeal for help, pointing out that we can carry out relief efforts with greater efficiency than in 1988 with hurricane Gilbert, as there was no internet then and communication would have been a much greater challenge with longer delays.
Consular General Oliver Mair in his address thanked Food for the Poor for its many years of service to and support for the Jamaican people. He lamented the fact that Jamaica was only just recovering from the recent losses suffered under hurricane Beryl, which had only barely brushed the western end of the island, in comparison to the more direct impact of Hurricane Melissa. He pointed out that they have mobilized more than 35 drop off points across South Florida. People were encouraged to assist by either volunteering to package donated items, making donations in kind, or giving cash donations.
In his address, Mark Khouri, Executive VP and COO of Food for the Poor reminded the public that this is only phase 1 of the restoration efforts, and that phase 2 will require a similarly strong united approach, as they seek to repair roofs and, in many cases, build new houses for the victims of Hurricane Melissa. He praised Food for the Poor as the logistics expert, with the ability to take the goods through customs and directly into the hands of those who need it most. To date, Food for the Poor has built more than 36,000 houses and more than 3000 schools in the island of Jamaica. Mr. Khouri pledged the organization’s support to the Jamaican people as they sought to bounce back from the devastation caused by Hurricane Melissa, pointing out that in preparation for hurricane Melissa Food for the Poor prepositioned 250 disaster kits in twelve parishes across Jamaica, and are awaiting the first flight into the island to send another 1000 disaster kits and 22,000 hygiene kits. He also encouraged persons to make donations via the organization’s website https://www.foodforthepoor.org
The press conference was held at the Miramar City Hall, 2300 Civic Center Place, Miramar, FL 33025. The event closed with the singing of the Jamaican National Anthem as a show of solidarity for the Jamaican people.
