Carlene Comrie hasn’t heard from her family in Montego Bay, Jamaica, since the Category 5 Hurricane Melissa rocked the Caribbean island Tuesday.
Her sister, brother, nieces and nephews all live in the area, said Comrie, who moved to the U.S. alone in 1998 and co-owns the Taste of the Caribbean restaurant in Seattle’s Central District. Her family lost power during the storm, and she has no idea what the damage is to their home, or if they are all right.
On her “logical side,” Comrie is telling herself everything is OK. But in her heart, she said this is “the most anxious I’ve been probably in my entire life.” She’s listening for that call to come in, telling her the property is damaged but everyone is OK.
Heavy floodwaters, high winds, landslides, fallen trees and tumbling boulders pummeled Jamaica as Melissa touched down Tuesday, leaving 77% of the island without power and nearly 15,000 in emergency shelters. Dozens were killed as the storm swept Jamaica, and moved on, weakened, to Cuba and Haiti.
Wednesday is a different day for Seattle’s Jamaican community, Comrie said. As the storm passed, “panic” turned into “composure.”
Comrie set up her business as a hub to fundraise for disaster relief.
Comrie will host an all day fundraiser at Taste of the Caribbean on Nov. 8 in partnership with Seattle’s Friends of Jamaica branch and the Jamaican Consulate. Organizers are accepting all forms of cash donations to support the recovery and relief effort, along with a list of needed supplies.
Among the items needed are batteries, flashlights, bedding, lanterns, heavy duty garbage bags, buckets with lids, heavy duty gloves, rain gear, hard hats, digging supplies and more. Donations can be dropped off at the restaurant now through Nov. 8. They’ll be shipped to the Jamaican Embassy and distributed from there.
Friends of Jamaica will also start a GoFundMe.
Oystian Sinclair, president of Friends of Jamaica Seattle, heard from his family in Alligator Pond, Jamaica, around 5 a.m. Wednesday. He’d prayed and tried to sleep but awoke around 4 a.m. before asking if anyone in his family group chat could tell him they were OK.
The community Sinclair’s brothers and sisters live in was hit hard. Roofs were destroyed, trees fell on homes, fences were taken out, the beach was eroded away, debris piled up, power lines were downed and floodwaters rose.
Still, hearing back from his family was a relief, Sinclair said. But he also said it will be crucial to keep donations up even though the storm has passed. It’s in the aftermath, he said, that supplies are needed the most.