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South Florida escaped direct impact from Hurricane Melissa, but the massive storm still affected millions of residents whose roots run deep here. Caribbean,
Now, Caribbean diaspora miami New York City is turning its grief into action: filling warehouses with emergency supplies to send to Jamaica, Cuba, Haiti and other communities Bahamas Which was destroyed by Melissa, one of the strongest Atlantic hurricanes on record.
Centers of global wealth – and vibrant expatriate communities that span generations – both cities have long been major points of entry for immigrants and cultural melting pots. Miami-Dade CountyFlorida’s largest county is now home to more immigrants than native-born Americans.
For many in Miami, the city is an unofficial capital of Latin America – where the salsa clubs of Little Havana and the chicken-filled streets of Little Haiti feel physically and culturally closer to the Caribbean than the rest of the mainland US.
According to the U.S. Census Bureau, there are more than one million foreign-born Cubans and 231,000 foreign-born Jamaicans throughout Florida, while New York State is home to 22,800 foreign-born Cubans and 225,000 foreign-born Jamaicans.
For many in the diaspora, ‘charity fatigue’ doesn’t apply
Many Haitian Americans are all too familiar with the pain of watching a disaster unfold from a distance, Melissa is the latest in a long series of crises. But diaspora members do their best to support their loved ones, said Caryn Jocelyn, CEO of Brooklyn-based Diaspora Community Services.
The feeling of “charity fatigue” doesn’t apply to Haiti, he said, adding, “We don’t really need to say that.”
Even though gang violence is disrupting transportation in the capital of Port-au-Prince, Jocelyn says she hopes resources will still be able to enter through Cap-Haïtien and Les Cayes airports. He urged donors to give to verified Haitian nonprofits to ensure that aid reaches communities in need.
Nonprofit groups told The Associated Press that cash is the best way to help, and experts recommend using sites like Charity Navigator or the Better Business Bureau’s Wise Giving Alliance to check out unfamiliar charities before donating.
Eugene Lapain, president of the Association des Paysons Haut Douzime, a rural development and civic engagement organization, is leading a rescue operation in communities near his mountain town of Petit-Goave in southern Haiti.
,People “Leaving their homes in search of shelter. We’re trying our best as a community to help each other through this,” Eugene said.
‘We are ready to help’
On Thursday, in a bustling warehouse in the town of Coconut Creek, in suburban Broward County, Florida, volunteers from the hunger and poverty relief organization Food for the Poor worked to assemble emergency care kits and load dozens of dishes of food, water and personal hygiene products.
Suzanne James-Casserley, who comes from a long line of Jamaican cattlemen, was born on the island but moved to South Florida in 1978, and now works for charity. She is flying next week to help on-site relief efforts in her home country, where many people were still recovering from the blow of last year’s Hurricane Beryl when Melissa appeared on radar.
She said, “Jamaicans are very strong and resilient. I’m scared of what I’m going to see. But one thing I do know is that we are ready to help.”
Kivet Silvera, who was born in Jamaica and now lives in South Florida, was among the Food for the Poor team that rode out the storm that hit the island, praying and listening to howling winds and watching trees bend.
“Words can’t express what they’re going through right now. It’s devastating,” he said in an interview from the organization’s office in the city of Spanish Town, west of the capital Kingston.
Marlon Hill is a corporate attorney in Miami who is helping lead the group South Florida Caribbean Strong to mobilize volunteers and donors to respond to the hurricane.
“Being an American born and raised in Jamaica, it makes a different impression on me,” Hill told reporters.
Donation sites appear at fire stations, parks, local restaurants
In the Broward County suburb of Miramar – where every city council member is either a Caribbean immigrant or the child of one – residents have also sprung into action.
Local authorities have organized a citywide relief effort to collect and deliver essential supplies to the islands. Residents can drop off items such as shelf-stable food, water, tarps, flashlights and sleeping bags at designated donation sites at fire department and police stations 24 hours a day.
In the nearby city of Lauderhill, residents can drop off donations at the area’s city hall, parks and Jamaican restaurants.
In Cooper City, Brittany and Dwayne Wolfe have offered their home as a drop-off site for diapers and other necessities. The couple are co-founders of The Greater Fort Lauderdale Diaper Bank, and many of the organization’s volunteers and supporters grew up in Jamaica or still have family on the island.
Dwayne, who was born in the central Jamaican city of Mandeville, has still not been able to reach his cousins, friends and loved ones after the storm. But while he waits for the call, he can focus on collecting more donations.
“I really feel like a lot of people who live in South Florida can really relate to this,” he said, “because we’re so close.”
Contributions are pouring in from around the world on the Diaper Bank’s online fundraising site, Brittany Wolfe said, as the organization prepares to send its first shipment of diapers to Jamaica.
“This is home,” she said. “And when things like this happen, you know, you’ve got to help.”
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Associated Press journalists Liseberth Guillaume in New York and Mike Schneider in Orlando, Florida contributed reporting. Kate Payne is a corps member for The Associated Press/Report for America Statehouse News Initiative. Report for America is a nonprofit national service program that places journalists in local newsrooms to report on undercovered issues.