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September 23, 2004

Locals reach out to victims of hurricane

Jeremy Schwab

Hurricane Ivan slammed into the Caribbean islands of Grenada and Jamaica last week, destroying tens of thousands of homes and killing at least 50 people.

It was the worst hurricane to hit Grenada in 50 years, and the worst to hit Jamaica since Hurricane Gilbert in 1988.

Worried about family members on the islands who are now homeless and face power outages, food shortages, contaminated water and limited medical supplies, Boston-area Caribbean-Americans swiftly organized relief collection efforts in the days following the storm.

The Grenada Cultural Organization began collecting water bottles, clothing, non-perishable foods, medical supplies and tents last week at the Unity Sports & Cultural Club on 10 Dunbar Avenue in Dorchester.

“There is no economy in Grenada now,” said Grenada Cultural Organization President Carol Leggett. “There are no schools, no post offices. Just about 90 percent of houses were destroyed. People are living in churches and shelters. The water is contaminated.”

Leggett said donations of money, food and equipment are coming in “slowly but surely,” and Air Jamaica has offered to fly the goods to Grenada for free.

“If something happens to one island, it’s our duty to help,” said Albert Philip, whose parents are from Trinidad, as he deposited supplies at the Unity Club last Friday. “It’s in the Caribbean anyway.”

The spirit of inter-island cooperation was also evident when Boston’s Caribbean Heritage Association offered to help out, and when Barry Greenwood of Barry International Shipping Company told the Grenadan and Jamaican relief organizations that his ships will transport relief supplies for free.

The founders of the Massachusetts-Jamaica Hurricane Relief Effort Committee were grateful. A group of Jamaican-American business people and community activists founded the group last week. The group is soliciting funds and supplies for hurricane relief in Jamaica.

Among the supplies they are asking for are blankets, generators, two-gallon collapsible water containers and building supplies.

“Food and clothes are ample, because they received a lot in the last hurricane a few weeks ago,” said Nicola Williams, a public relations consultant who is working for the Jamaica Relief Committee. “But infrastructure is really deteriorated there, so the types of things that are needed are around rebuilding and housing. Tents are needed.”

In Jamaica, thousands are homeless due to Hurricane Ivan, and the majority of the island was without electricity as of last week.

Meanwhile, Grenada is devastated. Morgan Dowden, parliamentarian at the Grenada Cultural Organization, like many of the estimated 2,500 Grenadans in the Boston area, worries about his family on the island.

His daughter lives near the capital, St. George’s, with her three children.

“She works for a food-shipping agent,” he said. “She said they just have food for two-to-three weeks in the grocery stores. After that, there will be nothing, because the port is not in operation for large ships. There are no warehouses to store things, because the warehouses were destroyed.”

The Red Cross is currently assessing the damage on Grenada, an island of approximately 110,000 people. Those conducting the relief effort fear the outbreak of disease, especially because the storm contaminated the water supply.

The Grenada Cultural Organization will be collecting supplies at 10 Dunbar Street every evening, week-day and weekend, from 7:30 to 9:00. Call their office at 781-784-1746 with questions, or call Paul Lewis at 617-541-4155. Monetary donations should be sent to: Grenada Disaster Relief Fund at Sovereign Bank, c/o Carol Leggett, 19 Tall Tree Road, Sharon, MA, 02067.

Donations to the Jamaican Relief Committee will be collected at the Caribbean Cultural Center, 1000 Blue Hill Avenue in Dorchester. The committee has not yet scheduled their hours of collection operations. Call 617-266-8604, x12 with questions. Checks should be mailed to: Honorary Consulate of Jamaica, 351 Massachusetts Avenue, Boston, MA, 02115.

Donations can also be made to the Red Cross, which is providing tents, water and hygiene kits in Grenada, by calling 1-800-HELP-NOW.

 

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