On Tuesday, October 28th, Hurricane Melissa made landfall in Jamaica as a Category 5 hurricane with winds over 185+ mph, making it one of the strongest Atlantic hurricanes ever recorded. It has caused widespread devastation and destruction in Jamaica, particularly near the town of Black River, which got some of the worst damage upon landfall.

We are currently in the process of purchasing a shipping container to load with supplies and send from the Port of Miami immediately. The funds raised through this GoFundMe will be used to purchase disaster relief items for the people of Jamaica—food, water, clothing, personal hygiene products, first aid supplies, cleaning supplies, batteries, generators, etc., and also to help cover the cost of the physical shipping container and the cost of freight to send the container from the Port of Miami to Jamaica. Jeffery Cooper who is also a part of this GoFundMe lives in Pembroke Pines / Miami, FL, and with help is currently coordinating the purchasing of the container, physically loading the supplies into the container for shipment, and arranging the container transit to the Port of Miami for dispatch to Jamaica. As of now, it looks like the container will most likely be delivered to Montego Bay, Jamaica. Currently, in Jamaica, there is an approved 30-day tax waiver for these emergency relief items and supplies through November 28th. Our current goal is to have the container leaving the Port of Miami within the next 5-6 days as the need is urgent and immediate for the people of Jamaica.

For me (Teddy), the organizer of this GoFundMe, I personally lost nearly everything to Hurricane Helene flooding in St. Petersburg, FL last year due to 6+ ft of water that came down my street at home. I have since moved a couple months ago to Stuart, FL (about 2 hrs north of Miami). I know all too well the multi-year effort that the people of Jamaica have in front of them and the long-term recovery effort that will be needed. As for Jeffery Cooper, I have been personal friends with him for several years — he is from Black River, Jamaica, and still has family and friends there in the country of Jamaica. So far, he and his family have personally known 6 people who lost their lives in Hurricane Melissa and know first hand of about another 20+ deaths that have occurred - and only expect that number to rise as more search and rescue efforts take place.

Please consider donating to this GoFundMe to help with the immediate need for relief of the people of Jamaica. There is no donation too small. If donations received through this GoFundMe exceed the cost of the first container shipment to Jamaica, we will use the remaining funds to continue relief efforts and send more supplies until all funds are exhausted. I can't stress enough that the need for relief will be ongoing. Thanks for your consideration to this GoFundMe and any donations made - we are grateful for all received.