Impact at a Glance
The Arrival
On November 6th, we landed at Sangster International Airport in Montego Bay. While the airport was operational, the drive toward Westmoreland revealed the true face of the disaster. The island's lush foliage was stripped bare, roads were heavily eroded with massive potholes, and standing floodwater forced us to take slow, cautious detours. Everywhere we looked, power lines lay across the ground like tangled wire. There was no cell service even in MoBay, and no electricity or running water. Once we got to Westmoreland, we visited families in the neighborhoods of Petersfield, Shrewsbury, and Roaring River. There we saw a lot of devastation on the ground. The majority of homes had missing walls and roofs, and there were long lines at the gas stations.
The Mission by the Numbers
With the incredible support of our community, we turned $4,900 in donations into a lifeline for those hit hardest. We successfully delivered essential aid to 5 families, supporting a total of 15 children and 16 adults, including two elderly individuals who had been cut off from supplies.
What We Brought
Strong Community and Resilience
Despite whole communities being leveled, the strength of these families in Westmoreland was unmistakable. We are grateful to our community and to Relief Radar as a platform for supporting this trip and making it possible for grassroots disaster relief. Large aid relief organizations are amazing, but this trip taught us that empowered individuals can sometimes provide better support to their communities than stretched-thin aid agencies can—it's about making sure our families aren't left waiting in the dark.