MONTEGO BAY, JA. — Jack Brewer, founder of the Broward County-based Jack Brewer Foundation, arrived in Montego Bay on Wednesday alongside Mario Duarte, president and CEO of Project DYNAMO, as part of a hurricane relief mission to support communities hit hardest by Hurricane Melissa.
Brewer met with Project DYNAMO leadership on the tarmac after arriving with a 737 filled with emergency relief supplies — including 5,000 pounds of meat, generators, towels, bottled water, bread, water filtration systems and more.
Next, officials said Project DYNAMO will work with local businesses and churches to build a distribution network capable of reaching the neighborhoods they have been assessing.
Days after Hurricane Melissa tore through Jamaica, aid groups are still struggling to reach some of the island’s hardest hit areas, including Trelawny Parish, where road damage and infrastructure failures continue to slow relief efforts.
In Falmouth, the Pulseline Family Medical Center, located along the waterfront, sustained significant storm damage.
Portions of the roof were torn off, patient rooms were flooded and staff are providing care with unstable electrical power, limited refrigeration and scarce access to clean water.
Local 10’s Christina Vazquez spoke with Dr. Patrice Thelwell-Monroe, the medical director at the facility, who confirmed the center is now operating under a critical shortage of supplies.
She said urgently needed items include: tarps, tents, tetanus shots, mosquito nets, IV fluids, oral rehydration salts, IV giving lines, face masks, disposable gloves, IV antibiotics, dengue rapid test kits, COVID rapid test kits, sheets, towels, blankets, bleach, hospital gowns, burn cream, topical antibiotics, SCUBA equipment for oxygen regulators, water purification tablets and insect repellent.
Residents directed volunteers from Project Dynamo and Savage Freedoms Operations to the facility earlier this week to conduct a medical assessment and create a resupply plan.
“We found rooms open to the sky, operating equipment soaked, and patients sitting in hallways because their rooms are unusable,” said Adam Smith, founder of Savage Freedoms Operations. “We can’t rebuild Jamaica, but what we can do is bring the medical supplies and pharmaceuticals needed to stabilize care.”
A large shipment of additional aid is expected to arrive by air in the coming days, with more deliveries planned based on access conditions.
Public health teams are tracking rising concerns about cholera, dengue fever and other waterborne diseases, as flooding has forced some residents to collect and use contaminated river water.
Access remains one of the most pressing challenges. Key roadways into Trelawny Parish were only cleared for the first time this week, delaying earlier assessment and relief operations.
Local community advocate Peter Whyte urged international support.
“Jamaica is in a serious situation,” Whyte said. “If you can help — please — we need it now.”
Vazquez has been in Jamaica since Monday embedded with relief groups Project DYNAMO and Savage Freedoms Relief Operations.
The groups say they plan to maintain a presence in the region as long as conditions require, coordinating incoming medical aid and working with local clinicians to distribute supplies to the facilities and neighborhoods most in need.
HOW TO HELP: Nonprofit organizations in South Florida collect donations to help Hurricane Melissa victims in Jamaica
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