My name is Megan Hudson. I live on Cape Cod and work as a prep cook at the Knack restaurant in Hyannis, MA. My friends and coworkers, Marian and her daughter Lacey, are from Jamaica and have worked full time at the Knack for years preparing some of the delicious food for both restaurants.

Their family back home survived the worst of Hurricane Melissa but lost everything. The monster storm made landfall in the southwest region of the island where their homes and community are in Westmoreland.

The two wooden houses on the family property were lifted up by the tornado-like winds, carrying two people inside for several feet and now lay demolished across the hillside. They each fell out and landed several feet apart. Miraculously, they both survived, protected by the rubble through the worst of the storm with cuts and bruises but no severe injuries.

Please donate to them so they can rebuild their family homes and care for their loved ones during the next long phases of recovery from this devastating storm.

The pictures are of their property before and after the storm. Both wooden houses are gone along with all of the contents. A partially built concrete house is damaged. There is no shelter from the hot Jamaican sun.

In this region all of the wooden structures were destroyed, most of the roofs came off and many concrete houses also suffered structural damage. Infrastructure of southwestern Jamaica will need to be rebuilt over the next months if not years. Roads, power lines, hospitals, police stations, schools……there is so much damage.

The best way to support Marian and Lacey is to donate to them so that they can buy necessary items to ship to their family and neighbors as soon as possible. They will then send money home when there are things available to buy.

Thank you for you support!

Megan