HELENA — Now a Category 2, Hurricane Melissa is churning through the Atlantic after leaving a trail of destruction in Jamaica, Cuba, and Haiti. The powerful storm has also claimed at least 30 lives.
Maie Lee Jones of Habana 406 food truck said. “We have lost communication, and we do not know about any of them. In a few days, we do not know what is happening.”
Jones and Adonis Zamora of the Cuban food truck Habana 406, here in Helena, still have family and friends in Cuba and Jamaica.
“We feel really sad, we feel really sad, and we want to help them and support the family as we always do, but in this case it is more like a humanitarian crisis,” Zamora said.
Although far from home, they are still feeling the devastation of Hurricane Melissa.
Jones said, “They are in total devastation, streets flooded, and communities destroyed.”
Below is a list of ways to help those impacted by the disaster:
American Red Cross officials said their chapters on the islands and the International Federation of Red Cross and Red Crescent Societies are fully operational, working together to respond across potentially affected countries.
Salvation Army personnel in the Jamaica East Division urged residents to take action to protect their families ahead of Hurricane Melissa.
Catholic Relief Services has a team of 100 staff in Haiti and local partners in Jamaica and the region. Emergency teams are securing offices and warehouses, preparing prepositioned shelter and clean water supplies, and helping people secure their businesses, homes, and fields.
American Friends of Jamaica provides critical support to communities across Jamaica affected by natural disasters through its Disaster Relief Fund.
United Way says it’s closely monitoring the situation in Jamaica, coordinating with on-the-ground partners with the goal of supporting long-term recovery needs.
Direct Relief committed an initial $250,000 in financial support and offered its entire medical inventory to health providers in the Caribbean in response to Hurricane Melissa.
Project HOPE is mobilizing an emergency response team to deploy while monitoring needs across the region.
Send Relief is coordinating with regional partners to deliver emergency supplies and support long-term recovery as soon as conditions allow.
GlobalGiving is seeking to meet urgent needs for search-and-rescue assistance, medical care, food, clean water, and temporary shelter.
