Seattle groups gear up to help Jamaica after Hurricane Melissa

SEATTLE - Local aid organizations and community leaders are gearing up to aid Jamaica residents hit hard by the devastation of Hurricane Melissa.

One local restaurant owner says she's organizing a donation driver while local disaster response volunteers are also getting ready to deploy to the hardest hit areas.

Local perspective:

At the Taste of the Caribbean restaurant in Seattle, ties to the island of Jamaica run deep.

"It is very tough to see the images that I’ve seen," said Carlene Comrie, co-owner of Taste of the Caribbean & Red Lounge.

Comrie says several of her family members live there, including her sister, brother and their children.

"My heart is, for lack of better terms, is bleeding," said Comrie.

By Tuesday, she'd lost communication with both siblings. Her brother lives in the hard-hit area of Montego Bay.

"The not knowing in this moment, right now, is the toughest part," said Comrie.

In order to help, local disaster volunteers from Empact Northwest are getting ready to deploy.

"We have our people spooled up, we are checking availability, we are reaching out to our partners for transportation," said Jake Gillanders, executive director of Empact Northwest.

Jake Gillanders says once the Empact Northwest team gets word on where they're needed, they'll deploy and likely start assisting with search and rescue efforts and helping the injured first, then transition to logistics.

"Our team is really good at organizing distribution for supplies at the community and neighborhood level, so often times our team will transition out of the rescue mode and into that logistical support and last-mile delivery mode," Gillanders said. "We are sort of like the FedEx of disaster response."

Comrie will also be accepting donations at the Taste of the Caribbean restaurant. 

"A lot of people will lose their crops; they will lose their fruit trees they will lose their way of life in terms of economics because they live off the farm, or they farm to sell," Comrie said.

What's next:

She says The Friends of Jamaica are also planning a fundraiser at the restaurant on November 8th.

"I know no matter how disastrous it is right now. It’s the months to come. The people of Jamaica are going to feel the effects," said Comrie. "Living through Hurricane Gilbert as a child, because I was 12 years old."

The government of Jamaica has also started compiling a list of items that will be needed, such as batteries, mattresses and pillows. See the full list below: 

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