On Thursday, October 28th, Hurricane Melissa made landfall in Jamaica causing catastrophic destruction of infrastructure, homes and communities. Although the scenes from the storm were violent and dramatic, these types of natural disasters remain an abstraction for anybody living in comfort thousands of miles away.

It wasn't until we talked to Zerial (Z) Hayles that the scope of the impact of this one-in-a-lifetime storm came into focus. His friends and family have lost businesses, homes and livelihoods for the immediate and, perhaps, longterm future.

He told us that he plans to send money to people in Negril who have been impacted and will make a trip home at some point to put his skills to use in rebuilding parts of his community.

For anyone who has had the good fortune of meeting, knowing or working with Z, we felt like now would be the time to show some support for him and the people he cares most about. Please join us in donating some much needed money for Z to give directly to those in need.

Apparently NGOs and government efforts can be bureaucratic and/or corrupt, so whatever money you donate will be given to Z to pay friends and family directly for miscellaneous repairs and resources -- food, roofing, housing, building materials. etc

Thanks in advance and please feel free to share with anyone who knows Z or would like to contribute to the cause.