Miramar officials joined forces with Jamaica's Miami Consulate and Food for the Poor on Sunday to coordinate humanitarian assistance for Jamaica following catastrophic damage from Hurricane Melissa. Mayor Wayne M. Messam described the storm as the most powerful ever documented, with peak winds reaching 185 mph that surpass Florida's most rigorous construction standards. He warned that even Miramar would lose most rooftops if struck by such a tempest, adding that Jamaica faces years of recovery ahead.
The city established collection sites at multiple fire and police facilities for essential supplies, including generators, tarps, canned goods, flashlights, batteries and medical equipment. Commissioner Maxwell Chambers praised Jamaica's government response and residents who independently cleared roadways, while noting his own family in hard-hit Clarendon Parish remains unaccounted for. He plans to organize a fundraising concert and secure a mobile medical unit.
Consulate General Oliver Mair highlighted that more than 35 collection points have been opened across South Florida. Food for the Poor's Mark Khouri emphasized this represents only initial relief work, with housing reconstruction to follow. The organization already positioned 250 disaster kits across 12 parishes before Melissa arrived and prepared to deliver 1,000 additional disaster kits plus 22,000 hygiene packages.
The city established collection sites at multiple fire and police facilities for essential supplies, including generators, tarps, canned goods, flashlights, batteries and medical equipment. Commissioner Maxwell Chambers praised Jamaica's government response and residents who independently cleared roadways, while noting his own family in hard-hit Clarendon Parish remains unaccounted for. He plans to organize a fundraising concert and secure a mobile medical unit.
Consulate General Oliver Mair highlighted that more than 35 collection points have been opened across South Florida. Food for the Poor's Mark Khouri emphasized this represents only initial relief work, with housing reconstruction to follow. The organization already positioned 250 disaster kits across 12 parishes before Melissa arrived and prepared to deliver 1,000 additional disaster kits plus 22,000 hygiene packages.
