Days after Hurricane Beryl left a path of widespread destruction in Jamaica and other islands in the Caribbean and left at least seven people in the southeast Caribbean dead, Lauderhill officials are collecting donations of supplies for victims through this weekend.
Lauderhill Mayor Ken Thurston and commissioners, one of who was born in Jamaica, are asking residents in the city and surrounding areas to drop off the following supplies at John Mullin Park, located at 2000 NW 55 Ave., between 10 a.m. and 5 p.m. beginning on the Fourth of July until Sunday. The city has a strong Jamaican and Caribbean presence.
- New blankets, sheets, sleeping bags and cots
- Yard waste bags and work gloves
- Unexpired canned and non-perishable foods
- Industrial sponges
- Solar-powered lights and flashlights
- Tarps
- Personal hygiene kits
- Professional first-aid kits
- Wash clothes
- Diapers and baby wipes
Beryl’s eye wall brushed by Jamaica’s southern coast Wednesday afternoon knocking out power and ripping roofs off homes. Prime Minister Andrew Holness said on Wednesday afternoon that nearly 500 people were placed in shelters.
By evening, he said that Jamaica has not seen the “worst of what could possibly happen.”
Several roadways in Jamaica’s interior settlements were impacted by fallen trees and utility poles, while some communities in the northern section were without electricity, according to the government’s Information Service.
Hurricane Beryl to make landfall in Mexico, reach Texas Gulf coast next week
Jon Porter, chief meteorologist at AccuWeather, told the Associated Press said Beryl was “the strongest and most dangerous hurricane threat that Jamaica has faced, probably, in decades.”
Jamaica was under a state of emergency as the island was declared a disaster zone hours before the impact of Hurricane Beryl. Holness said that the disaster zone declaration will remain for the next seven days.
Information from the Associated Press contributed to this report.