Hi, my name is Maurice Newman. I migrated from Jamaica in 2019, and the USA is now my home. Hurricane Melissa, a Category 5 hurricane (the worst hurricane to make landfall in Jamaica), made landfall in Jamaica on Tuesday, October 28, 2025, around 11:00 a.m.

I spoke with several members of my family around 9 a.m. that day, and have not been able to make contact since then. This has been taking an incremental toll, as I become increasingly worried with each passing day. The feeling of not being able to hear from your loved ones, especially after such a tragedy, is an indescribable feeling.

Based on images reported through various media outlets (social media, news platforms), I believe that, given their proximity to areas I have seen completely destroyed, they may have suffered severe loss to infrastructure as well. This increases my anxiety as the days go by, as my mother is 75 years old and suffers from diabetes, glaucoma, and hypertension, among other illnesses associated with her age group.

Through the Prime Minister's social media page, I have gotten to understand that the entire parish is without electricity, and a few cell towers were damaged in the hurricane.

Both my family, as well as the wider Jamaica, would have just been recovering from the impact of Hurricane Beryl last year, which caused an estimated US$8.83 billion in damages to the country, especially the southern parishes, the same areas that were just devastated yet again by Hurricane Melissa.

I know this is a tough time for many of us here in the USA at this time, myself included, but I am asking for your help in raising some financial assistance, so that as soon as I hear from my family, I will be able to send them, to help them and their community rebuild. I have lived in Jamaica and experienced hurricanes. The feeling of hearing and seeing your roof taken away by the wind sinks your heart to the ground, because in a single second, your home, your safest place to be, is no longer home. The sight of watching all your valuables and everything that has ever meant something to you at home, things new and things you've kept dearest to your heart because it was from your grandparents, all being destroyed as the rain from outside is suddenly inside and there is nothing you can do, because in this split second, you now have to decide, is it safe enough to run outside to get to somewhere else, hopefully close by, or do you have to stay within what's left of your home, and how do you achieve that safely for yourself and those with you.

I can only imagine what my family and those in Jamaica endured during this devastating hurricane, where every household in entire neighborhoods lost their roofs.

I know from experience that this is a very difficult time for those affected by this hurricane, and I am asking for help to make a difference in the lives of those affected. These funds are anticipated to help rebuild infrastructure and provide temporary relief during these difficult times.

Thank you in advance for your help during this difficult time.