Recovery efforts continue in Jamaica, over a week after Hurricane Melissa ravaged the island as a Category 5 storm. Now, a Montgomery County Council member — who’s the daughter of Jamaican immigrants — is working vigorously to provide disaster relief.
“Jamaicans understand hurricane season, but a Category 5 is not anything that they were prepared for,” said At-Large Council member Laurie-Anne Sayles.
Her mother, Hilda Williams-Sayles, had just returned to Jamaica in September after spending 25 years in Montgomery County working as a social worker. She planned to spend half the year in her home country, and Sayles was going to visit her over the holidays.
Then Hurricane Melissa hit Jamaica as one of the island’s strongest storms on record.
“She’s running low on water,” Sayles said. “There’s no flights coming in or coming out of Montego Bay, so she’d have to get to Kingston. And it’s taking almost eight hours to get back and forth because of the devastation and the roads not being cleared away just yet.”
More than two dozen communities in Jamaica are still cut off by landslides and flooding. Roughly half the island remains without power. According to Prime Minister Andrew Holness, preliminary estimates show the Category 5 hurricane caused at least $6 billion in damage.
Because of the dire conditions, Sayles said she wants to bring her mother back to the U.S. as soon as possible.
“It’s hard because her heart’s there and she sees the devastation, she doesn’t want to leave. So many of us here wish we could be down there doing the hard work, helping to clean up, helping to clear roads, helping those in need,” she said through tears. “So I understand her struggle, that she doesn’t want to leave, but we’re so worried.”
In an effort to help, Sayles has partnered with Maryland Del. Jheanelle Wilkins and the Embassy of Jamaica in D.C. to collect much needed supplies for the island, including bottled water, nonperishable food, first aid kits, soap, diapers, blankets and towels.
“We cannot thank the community enough, because the response has been overwhelming,” Sayles said.
There are two drop-off locations: The Silver Spring Civic Building on Veterans Plaza and the Montgomery College Bioscience Education Center in Germantown. They’re accepting donations through Nov. 17. You can also volunteer to help sort the supplies or donate money online.
“This is Jamaica’s Hurricane Katrina,” she said. “It’s devastating. It’s heartbreaking. But we just appreciate all the love and support that we’ve received so far.”