My hometown Black River and my neighborhood Parottee in St. Elizabeth, Jamaica were devastated by Hurricane Melissa. Both are coastal communities, so in addition to the destruction caused by 185 mph winds and 30 inches of rainfall, storm surges caused the ocean to swallow many belongings—clothes, beds, houses, and even lives. #RIPTeddy

I’ll be in Jamaica next week to help my family and community rebuild. While I’m there, I plan to coordinate direct relief efforts in Parottee focused on:

If you’ve reached out asking how to help—thank you. Alternatively, the official government fundraiser at supportjamaica.gov.jm is also a great option.

For anyone in the Houston area—I’m assembling supplies to take and ship to Jamaica. Feel free to reach out if you’d like to drop anything off. Every bit helps.

If you have expertise or ideas around sustainable, hurricane-resistant food and water systems, I welcome consultations and collaboration.

I’ll be sharing updates here as we rebuild together. Thank you for standing with Parottee.

If you feel comfortable giving directly, donate directly to Handel using apps below:

CashApp: $hbennett7

Venmo: @Handel-Bennett

I look forward to sharing the impact your contributions will make in the near future with you.

#ParotteeStronger #JamaicaRelief #HurricaneMelissa #StElizabeth #CommunitySupport #RebuildTogether