JAMAICA (KETK) – Volunteers from the East Texas nonprofit Love Mercy International are currently in Jamaica helping people recover from Hurricane Melissa, which left damage and debris across the island.
East Texas volunteers head to Jamaica to help with Hurricane Melissa recovery
After the storm made landfall in Jamaica on Oct. 28, dozens of people were left dead, while many others had their homes destroyed and are in need of vital resources like food and shelter.
KETK News spoke with Love Mercy volunteer Kelly Grizzard on Monday about their work clearing debris, cleaning out buildings and distributing food and relief supplies to the people of Jamaica.
“I was in Hurricane Katrina, and it was like a bomb went off, but everything was flat. Well, imagine the same thing, but it’s with ravines and sides of hills, and you’re looking at houses that are on the edge of these hills, and you’re wondering, ‘How are they still standing?’ Everything’s washed out below them,” Grizzard said. “You look at these ravines and there are trees all over the place. It’s a it’s a lot of carnage in the areas that were hardest hit.”
Grizzard explained that their biggest problem they’re facing in Jamaica now is getting enough supplies to the island while they continue to work clearing out debris and fallen trees.
“I would say that the biggest challenge is just the fact that it’s so difficult to get supplies into this area, and you can fact-check me on this, but I think a plane did not make it that was supposed to be coming in, that happened today,” Grizzard said. “They’re bringing supplies, everything’s being used up, all the resources are being used up and it creates a backlog on resources trying to come in. The people are resilient but you can also see that they’re kind of in that shock.”
On Monday morning, a plane leaving the United States on a relief mission to Jamaica crashed in Fort Lauderdale, leaving two people dead. Grizzard thanked his fellow volunteers from CRI International, Hope Force International and Samaritan’s Purse, but he stressed that more volunteers are needed in Jamaica, alongside financial support.
2 dead after small plane on hurricane relief mission to Jamaica crashes in Florida neighborhood
“We’ll use 100% of the finances that come in to buy products for Jamaica to be able to help them. That’s the biggest resource and volunteers to work. It doesn’t matter if you’ve got special skill sets or not. There’s debris everywhere. This will be going on for quite a while. The island is beautiful. The parts that are still destroyed carry a beauty. It’s kind of a ghost-like feeling when you imagine what was there before. The island’s coming alive again. Every day it’s doing better, getting stronger.”
To help Love Mercy International’s work in Jamaica, visit their website to donate or to learn how to volunteer…