Hatzolah Air left South Florida on Friday morning for Chabad of Jamaica, bringing much-needed supplies to an island nation that was devastated earlier this week by Hurricane Melissa.
During the height of the winds and water on Oct. 28, Rabbi Yaakov and Chaya Raskin, co-directors of the Jewish center in Montego Bay, and their family sheltered in a windowless room at the center of their home as Category 5 winds damaged the building. Within 24 hours of the storm passing, they were already coordinating relief efforts—operating phone charging stations, distributing water and essential goods, and arranging for a private plane full of relief supplies to take off from Miami.
The flight was made possible through coordination with Hatzolah Air, supporters in the United States, and Jamaica’s minister of state in the Ministry of Industry, Investment and Commerce, Delano Seiveright.
Like other homes and businesses, the Chabad House is running off a generator until power can be restored. As of Friday afternoon, an estimated 70% of the local power company’s customers remained in the dark. As many as 50 deaths have been reported across the Caribbean due to the massive storm.
Among the items the plane is carrying are canned goods, baby formula, medicine, flashlights, batteries and emergency equipment.
Despite having shattered windows, doors blown off their hinges, solar panels and AC units torn off the roof, in addition to flooding throughout the building, the Raskins have opened their home to shelter residents and stranded tourists in Western Jamaica. This weekend, the family is preparing to host a Shabbat meal for those who cannot leave the island and planning to have people stay at their house.
“We have a responsibility to everyone on the island,” said the rabbi. “That commitment continues, even as we operate with limited electricity, no water and no internet connection.”
He added that on Sunday, he will start to get to the devastated parts of the island to help residents. In the meantime, they have been cleaning up what they can to—broken glass, broken doors and other debris—to make it safe for residents who have sought their help and for guests.
“We will repair the material items, but our souls are unshaken. We will overcome this test, just as Avraham Aveinu did,” Raskin told JNS, referring both to Abraham, the father of the Jewish people, and this week’s Torah portion, Lech Lecha. “It’s so beautiful that neighbors in our community we never knew are here with us. Everyone is caring and looking out for one another.”
IsraAID, Israel’s leading independent humanitarian organization, launched an emergency response on Thursday. Its team is composed of experts in logistics, operations, mental health, psychosocial support, water, sanitation and hygiene.
Michal Bar, IsraAID’s senior director of emergency operations, stated that “communities in southwest Jamaica were severely impacted by Hurricane Beryl just last year and are now experiencing destruction on a whole new scale. The full extent of the damage and the urgent needs will become clear in the coming days, but we can already see the historic scale of this storm.”
The American Jewish Joint Distribution Committee (JDC) is also responding to the devastation in the Caribbean, providing immediate relief to Jamaica with critically needed first-aid medical supplies, water, hygiene kits and other essential humanitarian supplies. In addition, it is deploying disaster-relief experts to the island to take part in aid efforts and help respond to emerging needs.
JDC is also working with the Jewish community of Cuba on disaster relief and monitoring the region to determine additional emergency aid it may provide.
“We are deeply saddened by the catastrophic damage caused by Hurricane Melissa in Jamaica and its impact on other parts of the Caribbean. Alongside our immediate emergency assistance, we extend our heartfelt prayers to the survivors as they mourn and start on the long road to recovery. We’ll be there with them to provide care, healing and support,” said JDC CEO Ariel Zwang.
As the full extent of the destruction in the region becomes clear, the agency will draw on its experience of responding to natural disasters worldwide to mobilize additional resources. Meanwhile, it has launched an emergency fundraising campaign to meet the needs on the ground.
Click here to support aid for Chabad of Jamaica. Click here to support JDC’s disaster-relief efforts.
