I am Samara Linton, a British Jamaican writer, content producer, and former doctor living in London. I was born in Jamaica where several friends and family in Jamaica have had their homes and livelihoods destroyed by Hurricane Melissa.

I am raising funds to help loved ones rebuild and deeply appreciate any contribution you can make.

Thank you for standing with us.

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How my loved ones have been impacted

The hurricane made landfall in Westmoreland, where my relatives in Savanna-la-Mar have been badly affected. Their houses are flooded and flattened. ⁠One family member's shop (source of income) was destroyed. They urgently need a generator for electricity and, in the long term, funds to rebuild their homes and livelihoods.

In Mandeville, where I was born and raised before moving to the UK, our loved ones have also suffered severe damage. As one BBC reporter stated: “The town of Mandeville has been, for want of a better word, flattened.”

Former neighbours and friends in Mandeville are asking for help to cover the cost of replacing their roofs and repairing flood damage.

Context: Climate Injustice

Hurricane Melissa was the third-most intense Atlantic hurricane on record and the category 5 storm is strongest hurricane to make landfall in Jamaica since records began. The western part of the island endured the worst of it.

Climate change made this catastrophe significantly worse, increasing:

•⁠ Sea temperatures by 1.5°C

•⁠ Rainfall by 16%

•⁠ ⁠Maximum wind speeds by 7%

While countries like Jamaica contribute the least to carbon emissions, they continue to suffer disproportionately from its effects.

"Let us be clear: Hurricane Melissa was not a natural disaster – it was a profound manifestation of climate injustice," reads an open letter published in the Jamaica Gleaner. "As we rebuild, we must not return to broken systems. This is our moment not only to repair what was lost but to reimagine a more resilient future incorporating robust climate-change adaptation."