Assessing the destruction from Hurricane Melissa.
Late October was a busy time for Virginia Task Force 1 as they arrived in Kingston, Jamaica as part of the U.S. Department of State disaster response team, addressing the damage from Hurricane Melissa. The task force, consisting of 34 persons and four dogs, was an effort by the Fairfax County Urban Search and Rescue team who joined forces with the Department of Homeland Security, the Department of State and United Nations INSARAG team.
VA Task Force 1 conducted an aerial survey which covered 350 miles, and were part of a team deployed to the Black River, addressing the damage and needs of residents in that area.
Priorities include establishing a base of operations and working with the Jamaican authorities to ensure the operations meet their needs, they reported. They linked up with the Los Angeles Fire Department during the operation as well.
Mercy Chefs, a non-profit disaster and humanitarian relief organization, arrived in Jamaica after the task force, with 20 people and 600,000 pounds of food to feed as many as they can during and after the operation. Mercy Chefs is based in Portsmouth, Virginia.
To donate to help Jamaica, a few suggestions:
* American Friends of Jamaica https://theafj.org/
* WalkGood Jamaica Hurricane Relief Fund https://givebutter.com/walkgoodjamaica
* World Central Kitchens https://www.worldcentralkitchen.org/
* MercyCorp https://www.mercycorps.org/
* Support Jamaica Official Relief Portal supportjamaica.gov.jm