COCONUT CREEK, Fla. (AP) — South Florida was spared a direct blow from Hurricane Melissa, but the massive storm hit home for the millions of residents there who have deep roots in the Caribbean. Now, the Caribbean diaspora from Miami to New York City is turning its heartbreak into action: filling warehouses with emergency supplies to send to communities across Jamaica, Cuba, Haiti, and the Bahamas that were battered by Melissa, one of the strongest Atlantic hurricanes on record.
Centers of global wealth — and vibrant exile communities that run generations deep — both cities have long been major points of entry for immigrants and cultural melting pots. Miami-Dade County, Florida’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 rooster-filled streets of Little Haiti feel physically and culturally closer to the Caribbean than the rest of the mainland U.S. Across Florida, there are over a million foreign-born Cubans and 231,000 foreign-born Jamaicans, while New York state hosts 22,800 foreign-born Cubans and 225,000 foreign-born Jamaicans, according to the U.S. Census Bureau.
Many Haitian Americans, familiar with the pain of watching catastrophes unfold from afar, do their best to support loved ones back home, says Carine Jocelyn, CEO of Brooklyn-based Diaspora Community Services. Jocelyn shares that the concept of “donation fatigue” does not apply to Haiti, emphasizing the need for continuous support, particularly as gang violence disrupts transportation in Port-au-Prince.
Nonprofit organizations emphasize that cash donations are the most effective way to assist, and many recommend using established sites to ensure aid reaches those in need. In Coconut Creek, volunteers with Food For The Poor are assembling emergency care kits and supplies. Susan James-Casserly, with roots in Jamaica, is preparing to visit her homeland to aid recovery efforts, echoing the sentiments of community members like Kivette Silvera, who described the devastation they witnessed as heartbreaking.
Across the region, organized relief efforts have sprouted in cities like Miramar and Lauderhill, with local officials setting up donation sites for essentials like food, water, and shelters. The Greater Fort Lauderdale Diaper Bank is also collecting items to help those affected, highlighting the strong ties many South Floridians maintain with their Caribbean heritage. As residents grapple with uncertainty regarding loved ones back home, the lessons of resilience and community support continue to define their response to the crisis.
Centers of global wealth — and vibrant exile communities that run generations deep — both cities have long been major points of entry for immigrants and cultural melting pots. Miami-Dade County, Florida’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 rooster-filled streets of Little Haiti feel physically and culturally closer to the Caribbean than the rest of the mainland U.S. Across Florida, there are over a million foreign-born Cubans and 231,000 foreign-born Jamaicans, while New York state hosts 22,800 foreign-born Cubans and 225,000 foreign-born Jamaicans, according to the U.S. Census Bureau.
Many Haitian Americans, familiar with the pain of watching catastrophes unfold from afar, do their best to support loved ones back home, says Carine Jocelyn, CEO of Brooklyn-based Diaspora Community Services. Jocelyn shares that the concept of “donation fatigue” does not apply to Haiti, emphasizing the need for continuous support, particularly as gang violence disrupts transportation in Port-au-Prince.
Nonprofit organizations emphasize that cash donations are the most effective way to assist, and many recommend using established sites to ensure aid reaches those in need. In Coconut Creek, volunteers with Food For The Poor are assembling emergency care kits and supplies. Susan James-Casserly, with roots in Jamaica, is preparing to visit her homeland to aid recovery efforts, echoing the sentiments of community members like Kivette Silvera, who described the devastation they witnessed as heartbreaking.
Across the region, organized relief efforts have sprouted in cities like Miramar and Lauderhill, with local officials setting up donation sites for essentials like food, water, and shelters. The Greater Fort Lauderdale Diaper Bank is also collecting items to help those affected, highlighting the strong ties many South Floridians maintain with their Caribbean heritage. As residents grapple with uncertainty regarding loved ones back home, the lessons of resilience and community support continue to define their response to the crisis.
