TALLAHASSEE FLA. (WTXL) — After Hurricane Melissa’s Oct. 28 landfall devastated homes, farms, and water supplies across Jamaica, Jamaican families living in Tallahassee are organizing with New Hope International and the Tallahassee Urban League to raise $100,000 for rebuilding.
- Hurricane Melissa, described as the most powerful storm to strike Jamaica, destroyed homes, wiped out farms, and left communities without drinking water or reliable communication for weeks.
- New Hope International Outreach Ministries and the Tallahassee Urban League have launched a community relief drive with a $100,000 goal.
- Watch the video to see how two local Jamaican sisters describe weeks without contact with relatives and the community’s plan to rebuild.
Tallahassee community rallies to raise $100K after Hurricane Melissa devastates Jamaica
BROADCAST TRANSCRIPT:
Hurricane Melissa, the most powerful storm to ever strike Jamaica, made landfall on October 28, destroying homes, ripping apart livelihoods, and uprooting entire communities.
Now the island faces a long road to recovery.
I met two sisters who are here physically, but whose hearts remain in Jamaica with their family, stuck in the storm's aftermath.
"You don't know if they're dead. You don't know if they're alive. That was heartbreaking," Andreca Robinson, a Jamaican resident said.
Those fears are shared by many Jamaican families living right here in the Big Bend, watching from hundreds of miles away as their loved ones suffer back home without communication for weeks.
"Two weeks without communication. That's heartbreaking knowing that you can't reach your parents, somebody who you talk to every single day, and the communication has been cut off. That was very devastating for us," Robinson said.
That devastation has turned into a plan for restoration.
New Hope International Outreach Ministries and the Tallahassee Urban League are leading a community relief drive aiming to raise $100,000 to rebuild and restore what was lost.
Tallahassee Mayor Pro Tem Dianne Williams Cox says it's a mission this city understands well.
"It is incumbent upon us to make sure we do all that we can to help meet this need. Because those of us here, we know what this is like. We've had hurricanes. We've had tornadoes, three tornadoes to touch down in a matter of 10 minutes, and you saw the damage that it did. so just imagine," Cox said.
For Robinson and her sister, that damage isn't just something to imagine. It's a reality they're living every day.
"And to see my family back home without a house...It's really depressing. This is the first time we have ever experienced anything like this. And I'm saying this because these are my people. I hold them dear to my heart. So when they are hurt, I am hurt too," Ann Marie Robinson‑Baker, Jamaica resident said.
For her sister, Andreca, the pain is just as raw. With loved ones losing not only their homes but also what they relied on to survive.
"They lost their roofs. It's gone. The farm that my father survived from. It is gone. It is devastating there. There's nothing—no drinking water, no electricity. It's a mess there," Robinson said.
If you'd like to help our community's families left with nothing in Jamaica rebuild after Hurricane Melissa. You can call 850-274-3034 or mail a check payable to New Hope International Outreach Ministries.
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