PHILADELPHIA – Powerful Category 5 Hurricane Melissa is on the verge of making landfall in Jamaica, threatening to bring historic flooding to the island.
Philadelphia’s Jamaican community prepares to help
Philadelphia has a significant Jamaican community, and they are gearing up to assist their homeland as Hurricane Melissa approaches.
Careda Matthews, who owns Careda’s Caribbean Cuisine at Reading Terminal Market, is deeply concerned about her family in Kingston.
“We did mass evacuations. They had to bus people out of shoreline areas,” said Matthews.
She is anxiously monitoring conditions and trying to reach her relatives despite disrupted phone lines.
Chris Chaplin, part of the local Jamaican community, is organizing relief efforts to aid Jamaica’s recovery after the storm.
Melissa is expected to be the most significant storm since Hurricane Gilbert in 1988.
Chaplin says “We have seen it all and we’ve always recovered. I would let people know times may dark right now. But we will recover. We will put our shoulders to the wheel and we will push”
Local perspective:
Tanya Ross from West Philadelphia is currently stuck in Jamaica due to flight cancellations.
She is attending a wedding this weekend and was informed during the reception that her flight home on Monday was canceled.
She is now re-booked on a flight for Wednesday.
“They are preparing. They are battening down stuff. They got the sandbags out on the first floor. They are preparing for the worst,” said Ross, who is staying two additional nights at a resort hotel in Negril.
U.S. State Department issues advisory
What they’re saying:
The U.S. State Department is advising all Americans in Jamaica to shelter in place as the storm nears.
They recommend informing loved ones in the U.S. about their location and the best way to reach them.
What you can do:
AREA HURRICANE MELISSA RELIEF EFFORTS : Consulate of Jamaica – Philadelphia
ITEM DONATION LOCATIONS
Besco Shippers
5425 Baltimore Ave, Philadelphia, PA 19143
Monday–Friday | 12:00 PM – 4:00 PM
True United Church
6201 Old York Road, Philadelphia, PA 19141
Sundays | 10:00 AM – 3:00 PM
ITEMS NEEDED: Tarps, Generators, Canned Food, Hygiene Kits, etc. No used clothing or linen
FINANCIAL DONATIONS
Checks payable to: New Testament Church of God
935 S. 53rd Street, Philadelphia, PA 19143
DIGITAL GIVING:
PayPal: https://paypal.me/NTCOG
VOLUNTEERS NEEDED
Email: Chris@jamaicaconsulatephiladelphia.com
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